Long and tiring weekend

We started our trip out to my folks' house on Wednesday afternoon. Thankfully it was uneventful. But our favorite midway stop was in turmoil. The "fast" gas station that we always stop at was being remodeled. So we just ate dinner and got fuel in the next town. We got to my folks' about 6.5 hours after we started, so it was good. There were no traffic accidents. There weren't a bunch of SLOW as snail cars in the mountains. We were able to go-go-go! What was crazy is that the kids didn't fall asleep until about 30 minutes before we got to our destination.

My sister and BIL (Sis#2 and Jello) hosted once again this year. I finally was able to see their renovations. They changed their master bath into a 2nd hall bath. Their master bedroom became their craft & workout room. And they added a "real" master bath and room. When they first bought this house in 1994, it was a 3 bedroom 2 bath place with living room, dining room and kitchen. Now? It's a 4 bedroom, 3 bath, living room, and great room (kitchen with bar, dining area and HUGE family room). It's doubled in size since they first moved in. It's fabulous!

Here are the kidlings on the way to turkey.

Anyway, we had a typical San Diego family Thanksgiving:
Sis#2, Jello, their daughter (Kay), their 2 sons (Mickey & Theo) - 5
My parents - 2
Jello's parents - 2
Jello's older sister (Ann) and her husband (Cray) and son (Kev) - 3
Jello's younger sister (Ari) and her husband (Mike) and 2 sons (Al and Air) - 4
LilSis and Shorty - 2
And me and mine - 4
Jello's nephew and girlfriend -2

That's how many? 24 people!

But we definitely had enough food. Everyone brought a piece of the meal. It was a feast! We had one deep-fried turkey and one traditionally baked turkey. Here's the deep-fried one:

Around 5pm we headed out and drove over to Shorty's parents' house. Actually, the Hubs, my Dad, and the Bear headed back home. It was just us girls and Shorty that went over. I brought a bottle of champagne with me. I didn't want to arrive empty-handed. They'd already had dinner and were all just hanging around. We ate dessert and chatted with them and the rest of Shorty's extended family.

On Friday, none of us wanted to go shopping. I decided that a trip to SeaWorld was needed. The Bear had never been so I thought it was high time he was able to see those animals. And it was a good time. LilSis and Shorty came out with us. Shamu was a hit. The penguin enclosure was closed for renovations but there were some in the outdoor area. We saw the dolphins. We touched some sting rays. We saw the rescued manatees and even got to see the sharks swim above us.

You can see by that last photo that they both were DONE. Thank goodness that horse was the last stop of the day. The Bear has his sweatpants around his knees and his hands in his pockets along with a little scowl on his face. How special!

On Saturday we watched Mickey's football team in a playoff match. Mickey ended up not being allowed to play. Why? Because he had some minor breaks in his wrist. The officials wouldn't let him play with a 'soft' cast. You can see him (without his pads) and one of his coaches walk onto the field below. The team ended up having to play with only two running backs when they are used to playing with three. The break in his wrist happened at LAST weekend's playoff game in Phoenix. That's right. Sis#2 and her clan drove out to Phoenix to play a football game. And then they had to go to the hospital to get Mickey's wrist checked out. But my kids had a good time watching the game. Kay and Theo had a good time too. I bought them all hot dogs and nachos, so they were snacking away.

And then it was Sunday. Time to drive home. It was an uneventful drive home. The kids konked out in about 30 minutes into the drive. They only slept for an hour but at least they slept. We got home before the sun descended into the horizon. It was a fun trip. A tiring trip. But...it was REALLY nice to be home. Our place. Our bed. Our space.

He sure is intelligent

...but he has those moments when he's not smart.

We got back from our weekend trip around 4pm on Sunday. Unpacked the car. The Hubs got the luggage in and unpacked his and the kids bags.

When we got the kids ready for bed a few hours later, I noticed something. That the luggage that the kids had used was upstairs. Why is it weird? Because that bag was filled with used clothes. I shrugged off the oddity of it and went about gathering their outfits for Monday. And found.... their dirty clothes in their drawers and hanging in their closets.

Me: Honey? Did you put all those clothes in that green duffle into the kids rooms?
Hubs: Yeah.
Me: Uh...those were their dirty clothes.
Me: What? But they were folded.
Me: Didn't all the clothes look wrinkled and a little smelly?
Me: No. I didn't notice.
Me: And you didn't notice that everything you were putting away looked REAL familiar? They wore ALL those clothes at my parents....
Me: What? Really?

Oh my gosh! He didn't notice that the shirts (mostly the Bear's) had stains on them. He didn't realize that a couple of the pants had dirt marks on them. He didn't notice that these were the clothes that the kids had worn. I had to go through the kids' closets and drawers to pull out the dirty jammies, pants, and shirts. Thankfully I'd thrown all their used socks and undies into a plastic grocery bag. Can you imagine if I hadn't? EWWW!!!

My husband is an intelligent man. He graduated cum laude when he got his Bachelor's degree. He's got a Master's in Business! But this is another example of him NOT THINKING. NOT SEEING. NOT being AWARE. Goodness!

We're mostly done

So what have we got finished up today?

Tree up.

Lights, ribbons, and ornaments placed on tree. The Hubs put the hooks on the ornaments. The kids put the ornaments up on the tree. The tree has got a ton of low-lying fruit, so the Hubs and I will fix the placement of the ornaments later on tonight after the kids are asleep.

Formal dining room dressed up. Flower garland woven up on the dining room chandelier. Pointsettia cross-stitch runner on table. Tall glass vase filled with silk poinsettia flowers & gold and burgundy ball ornaments mixed in.

Our fireplace now has our four stockings hung on our pewter "hooks".

The 10 foot planter area above our family room tv area is all decked out. Birch woven Santa and reindeer up and on a timer, so we don't have to mess with it the rest of the season. I also put the small stuffed animals that are dressed in holiday garb up there sitting on the edge.

The staircase and loft banister has greenery and lights all the way up and over. This year, I did buy a timer specifically for these lights. The last couple of years I've been plugging those in daily. No more!

There's a Santa hologram up in the extra car garage window. I've got THAT on a timer too! The Hubs is thinking of getting another hologram figure for a couple of the other front-facing windows.

Here's what we've still got to complete?

Get the lights up on the backyard fence and plugged into a timer

Get the blow-up characters set up and plugged into a timer

Get the ornaments on the 2 trees in the front yard

Get the walkway tree lights staked and plugged into a timer

And that'll be all. I wanted the Hubs to get the lights up on the house but I'm not going to hold my breath for THAT to happen. I've got the things that I've got control over done -- or I'll get it done soon. The house lights are under his umbrella of responsibility. So it'll get done if he decides to get it done.

But our house is almost all dolled up for the season and I'm happy about that. Now we can concentrate on just spending quality time together the rest of the month.

Oh yeah! Yesterday, the kids visited Santa. The kids were the FIRST kids to sit on Santa's lap for the season! It was awesome. Both kids were all smiles. It was good because now the kids have given Santa their list of what they want. And those are the things we'll concentrate on getting them.

I would have been offended as well

Did you hear about this "feud" between Kelly Ripa & Clay Aiken?

I don't think that Rosie O'Donnell helped the situation. She turned the situation into a 'homophobic' issue. Oy!

When I saw the episode with Clay and Kelly on Friday, I was offended when Clay put his hand FULLY over Kelly's mouth. It's one thing to put his hand in front over her face to block her from the camera. But it's another thing entirely to place his hand ON her mouth. Not even Regis would do that to Kelly. So when I saw it I was taken aback. And then I heard that there was a 'feud'.

I was sad to hear that Clay didn't thank the show for asking him to be a co-host. I'm sad to hear that Clay didn't speak to Kelly and formally apologize to her for the faux pas. That's all he needed to do after he saw her reaction to what he did. That's just the right thing to do. Don't you think?

But this will hopefully blow over as all 'feuds' generally do.

Eating out is SO much easier

The Hubs and I used to go out to dinner every weekend when we were dating and when we were first married. So when we had kids, we continued to go out. BUT we did alter our destinations to places that were more acccommodating to children. We didn't go to any "fine" dining establishments. Kid friendly places have been it. The thing is? We still go to kid friendly places. BUT it's SO much easier now.

Why? We know what the kids want to eat. We know the non-busy times to go. We know what distractions to bring (crayons, paper, cards, etc)**. AND we don't have to deal with any diapers. Plus.... since we've always gone out with the kids they have a good idea of what to expect when we go out. How long it's going to take. All that.

What's also great is that we know what places they REALLY enjoy. I can take my son to the local chinese place down the street without any kind of entertainment. Why? It's casual. It's super quick. AND he loves Chinese food. He knows that a meal at that place has NO WAITING involved. So we both are able to enjoy a hot meal. Which we did this Saturday night when he and I were without the Hubs and Princess.

But I have to tell you that it's nice to be able to go out and eat a hot meal. Not having to hover over each one. To be able to eat and talk with my husband with minor interruptions from the kidlings. It's taken a while. But we're all enjoying dining out.

** Having a ziplock with easy-clean crayons, easy-clean markers, and blank paper in my car is key. It's like when the kids were babies and I had a ziplock with an extra outfit with a couple diapers and wipes in it. It's ESSENTIAL to have at all times.

Moving and not thinking

Today was the last home football game that my husband would be attending this year. He brought my FIL (whose birthday was yesterday) and the Princess.

The problem? Trying to figure out how he and the Princess could get away without the Bear wanting to go too. Last night, the Hubs and I figured out a game plan. That we'd feed the Bear a late lunch (around 12:30pm) and then get him down for a nap. Once he was asleep, the Hubs and Prin would leave. Good plan, huh?

I made the Bear's lunch and then had something to eat too. The Prin and the Hubs were still eating when I decided to lay down with the boy. I was fully tired because I didn't sleep well the night before. It didn't take long for my little guy to pass out. He lay next to me on his onw pillow as I turned away from him. He played gently with my hair as he relaxed and finally crashed 10 minutes later. I heard the twosome leave the house. I crashed soon after for about an hour.

I got up and finished cleaning up the lunch mess. I then walked around trying to get organized but couldn't find....my keys. I looked in all the normal spots. On the kitchen counter next to the family calendar. In my purse. On the barstool where my purse normally sits. Nada. I found nothing! So what did I do? Called my husband!

Me: Honey?
Hubs: Hi Bunny.
Me: Uh....where are my keys?
Hubs:What? Your keys? On the kitchen counter.
Me: No. I looked there.
Hubs:Oh. In your purse?
Me: No. I looked there.
Hubs:Oh.....
Me: WHAT?
Hubs:They're still in my pocket.

So my husband left on a 1.5 hour drive away with my keys in his pocket. My keys. He didn't feel them in his pocket! The house key. My car key. The security door key. OY! And it's not like my keychains is small. I even have my click unlock thing for my car on it.

I ended up having to rummage through our extra key container to find a house and car key. Yes. I did find the extra ones. But HOW the HECK do you not feel a set of KEYS in your POCKET!

Is it on a different plane?

Every night before bed, I read a couple pages from a "World Knowledge" book to the Princess. Facts about our bodies. Facts about animals. Facts about our planet. Right now we're on elements and science facts.

Tonight's pages were around temperature. What temperature is. What heat is. The different ways to measure temperature.

Princess: Oh Mom! We know about Fahrenheit and Celsius!
Me: Oh really baby girl? Did you talk about it in school?
Princess: Yes. In our science section.
Me: So who uses Fahrenheit?
Princess: We do.
Me: That's right. Like when Daddy watches the Weather Channel. Those temperatures are in Fahrenheit.
Princess: Yup.
Me: And who normally uses Celsius?
Princess: CHICAGO!

Uh. Am I the only one who didn't get the memo that Chicago needed to use Celsius instead of Fahrenheit to gauge their temps?

Health Update

So the biopsies came back with good results. No cancerous cells to be seen. We'll be monitoring me more closely from now on. I'll go in for another PAP in about 3 months. If those results come in with unusual cells we'll go the aggressive route and perform a LEEP. That's the procedure when they slice off a couple layers of cells. But for now I'll just be doing everything like I normally do. No worries for now. YEAH! For those of you who sent me kind words....a big thank you! I appreciate your concern and your support.

Nope. I'm full.

Last night, I got a late call. It was 8pm. That's late for us. My family and friends know that we are putting the kids to bed between 7:15-7:45pm each weeknight. So I was pretty surprised when my cell started to ring.

Me: Hello?
Caller: Hi. Is this the Princess' Mom?
Me: Yes... [in a hesitant voice]
Caller: Hi. It's C's Mom.
Me: ...Oh....Hi!
Caller: I was planning on going to the field trip tomorrow and driving....
Me: Okay...
Caller: But we've had a puppy emergency. I'm going to have to wake up every 2 hours to feed our puppy.
Me: Uh. Okay.
Caller: So C and I were talking and she said she'd be comfortable with you.
Me: The thing is I already have a full car. Ms. D already has 3 kids plus the Princess designated to me....
Caller: Oh, I see. Okay.

This lady was going to drive to the field trip but only drive her child. I'm fine with that because some people don't want to be responsible for other people's kids. So this puts the teacher in a bind that she's got to find a space for this child on such short notice. Then there's the issue that she called me so late. I know 8pm isn't late for a lot of people but I've got a 3 year old who NEEDS to get to bed or else he's not a happy camper in the morning. Then there's the fact that I don't want to be responsible for HER child. C was the one who came over for a playdate last year and was looking in my pantry for a snack after I'd already put down some bananas, crackers, and peanut butter out.** Plus, I already knew the other girls in my car and last year there was was drama between them and I wanted a stress-free drive today.

So what ended up happening today? C and her Mom showed up at 9am to school and we were all to leave for the trip at 9:30am. The Mom ended up driving her daughter. And ONLY her daughter (which is a good thing). I've seen this lady drive and she isn't the most safe driver. I've seen her weave on the highway and have witnessed her cutting cars off on the road.

But MY car was calm. The kids were happy as clams. I brought everyone a bag of snacks (pretzels, Keebler bug crackers, and goldfish) to eat in the car. I also brought a DVD (Spirit) so they'd have something to watch. The one little girl had never watched the movie so the other kids were 'helping' her understand what was happening. They were giggling and chatting. It was good. Then we all held hands to get to the auditorium. 2 kids on my right. 2 kids on my left. Once we were on street where the auditorium was located, I let the kids loose. I let them 'skip' to destinations ahead of us. "Okay. You can run to that first lamp post." "Okay. Run to that 2nd tree." At each location they needed to touch the thing I had designated as a stopping point. And they couldn't leave it until I gave them their next destination. They were all good about it. Good listeners. And I made sure that they knew I appreciated their cooperation.

So it was fun. A good time. For them. For me. It was good.

**For those of you that don't remember...she went into my pantry to check out the snack situation on her own. I asked her what she normally would have for a snack and she said "Cocoa Puffs". Okay. My kids don't even KNOW that cereal. We don't have those ultra sugary cereals in our house. So the little girl stood there and saw the canned goods and pointed to the back of the pantry. "THAT!" I looked and she was pointing to a can of Spaghettios. That is what she wanted ME to prepare for HER for a snack. Uh....no....

Night-time buddies

The Bear has a whole host of stuffed animals (about 10) on his bedstand, but has recently latched onto one at night.

It's a stuffed "Blue" - the one from Blue's Clues.

But this is a special stuffed Blue. This particular Blue has a sleeping back that's attached. You can actually roll the sleeping back and have it on Blue's back. Then at night, you can unroll it and put her in it. What's even MORE special about this Blue is that she's got a flashlight. That's right folks. A working flashlight.

On Friday morning, when it was still dark outside, the Bear came into our bedroom. The Hubs was already at work. The Bear came over to my side of the bed and my hand was sticking out of bed. He ran into my hand and tried to hold my hand. I didn't react. Then he left. Not 2 minutes later he was back. With Blue. He turned on the flashlight and shined it near my face. He was CHECKING to see if I was okay! Normally when he comes into our bedroom I wake up and start to cuddle him. But this time? I didn't react so he was worried and got his handy-dandy flashlight. Yes. I know. He could have turned on the lightswitch but the flashlight was so much more subtle.

So since Friday, the Sleeping Bag Blue has been his night-time buddy. I can just imagine him turning on the flashlight when he wakes up at night. How cute is that?

A little letter from home

Letters. Letters from home.

Those mean a lot. I remember when I was little and my Dad was out "on the boat" for 6 months that my Mom would sit us 3 girls down and we'd each write a letter. I was so little my contributions were generally be an art piece - a page from a coloring book or a freehand drawing.

When the first stirring in the middle East happened (at the end of 1989/early 1990), I signed up for a program where I was assigned someone who was deployed in the campaign. I wrote to this guy every 2 weeks for a few months. And he wrote back to me when he could. He was so surprised that I continued to write. A lot of the other guys in his unit had only received one or two letters from their designed pen-pal in the program. So when letters kept showing up from me, he was ecstatic. That I would write to someone that I didn't know. Just because.

After I'd been dating my husband for a year, he went on his first deployment. I'd write him a letter every week. I'd also send him care packages about every 3-4 weeks. Magazines. Snacks. Silly things. But my letters are what I concentrated on. I'd write tidbits about what I was doing. How my family was doing. What was happening in our favorite tv shows. I'd write about anything and everything. Even though I only mailed the letters each Friday, I would invest a little time each night to write. I would dedicate those moments that I would be spending with him to put things down on paper.

I have to tell you that what you'd call snail mail was even SLOWER getting to my husband out on an air craft carrier. It would take at least 3 weeks for a letter to show up. Sometimes longer. It was craziness. But I continued to send the letters out. It was my way of making sure he knew I was thinking of HIM.

Fast forward a couple years and we were married. A couple months after the wedding, he went on his second deployment. But this time, the air craft carriers had some new technology. Email! This deployment, we could email each other any time. We knew one couple who'd email each other every single day. The Hubs and I only emailed every week or so. It was so much easier. He didn't feel so far away.

But even now with the invention of email and text messaging....I know how important a letter is. A letter written in ink (or pencil or crayon). Something created with you own hands - not a computer. Hand-written letters take longer. I put more thought and effort into hand-written notes and letters. I feel more connected to the person I'm writing to. And I hope they feel the same way too. I know my husband did. I know my guy in the desert did. And I know my Dad did as well.

So if you know someone in the military (in training, deployed on a boat or on land), send them a letter. Receivng a letter gives them a little love from home. Something we all cherish in this busy day and age that we live in.

You'll be my hero?

Me: OUCH!
Bear: You okay Mommy?
Me: Yes Buddy.
Bear: You huwt yowself?
Me: No Buddy. Daddy bumped me hard on my elbow.
Bear: Oh...Daddy huwt you?
Me: Yes Buddy. But it was an accident.
Bear: DADDY! You be NICE to my MOMMY!
Me: Okay Buddy. It was an accident.....

My little hero!

The Bear actually checks on ALL of us when he notices that we're hurt or injured. He makes sure we're okay. And if he finds out someone else has done something?

You be NICE to my....

Hopefully he'll continue to be this way with his sister. That he'll be her "hero" if anyone bothers her. A Mom definitely can hope, eh?

The Wind Beneath my Wings

BEACHES is just finishing.

I love the ending of this movie. I never watch the whole thing anymore. It's the ending that I cherish. How the two lifelong friends go to the summer beach house and look out at the water as the sun sets. To bring an end to their friendship. Then the reading of all the letters they exchanged through their lives. Then that performance where she sings the same song as when the two girls met as kids. That final good-bye. The love that the two felt for each other is palpable. It's touches my heart. It makes me cry every single time. THAT love. It's an awesome love.

Do you have a lifelong friend like this? My older sister holds this role in my life. She's known me since I was born. She's seen me grow. She's seen me fail. She's seen me succeed. But no matter what she's always treated me the same. When we get together it's as if we've never been apart. We talk about everything and nothing. I never need to hide from her. My heart is open and I'm never afraid of it getting stamped upon. You know? It's an awesome love.

I hope you have someone like this in your life.

Fascination

My son has one obsession. What is it? Hair. LONG hair. Since my Bear was a baby, he's like to twirl my hair between his fingers. As I fed him, my hair would normally go forward and he'd reach out for it. He'd twirl it and comb his fingers through and reach for more hair. He doesn't just twirl, he'll try to reach as far up near my head with his thumb and pointer finger and pull towards the ends.

Now as an almost 4 year old, he still is fascinated with long hair. When I cuddle with him on the couch, he reaches up for my hair (even when I've got it in a ponytail). If he's not positioned so he can reach up to play with my hair, he'll rearrange himself so he can sit and absently twirl and pull.

Today at lunch, the Bear and his sister were sitting next to each other in the booth. The Bear had finished his quesadilla. The Princess was chattering away with me and the Hubs. The Bear noted that his sister was next to him and turned to her. And busily started to twirl and pull her hair in his hands. My girl? She ignored him. She let him do his thing. You see, when they cuddle together he'll twirl her hair like he does with me.

And if I've showered? Oh my goodness! He just HAS to come sit next to me and touch my wet hair. HAS TO. If he's sitting next to me and I get up, he'll follow me to make sure he can continue pulling.

My son likes long hair. My nephew likes to rub earlobes when he's cuddling. Now does your child have a fascination that first stemmed when they were babies?

Dishonesty

The Princess recently had her first bout with dishonesty.

This week the entire class was moved around. Everyone has got new seats. My daughter is now back to the original group of tables that she started the year at. She actually only has one boy sitting to her left. No one to her right. She's got 3 of her buddies sitting across from her. Of course, she's not sitting NEXT to anyone she's already been next to. This the teacher's way of giving the kids the opportunity to get to know ALL their classmates. Also, a way for her to monitor 'certain' kids more easily as well. This is NOT the first time the kids have been moved around. This is actually the 3rd new location my daughter is at since school started in August.

As you all know, she's been "King of the Mountain" all but two weeks of the school year. She keeps on winning this weekly (every Thursday) spelling bee. This is the warm-up for the Friday spelling TEST. Well, it turns out that the girl that my daughter had been sitting next to was sneaking peeks at my girl's paper during the Friday spelling test. My daughter said that yesterday (since they have today off for Veteran's Day) the teacher actually moved the Princess to another location before the test started. Then after lunch, all the kids were assigned new seats.

But can you believe it? Cheating! In first grade! I just can't believe that has happened. What would make this child think it was okay to look at another person's paper? I can tell you that this little revelation from the Princess opened up a nice conversation about HONESTY and how important being honest is. That Mommy and Daddy always want the TRUTH even if it's bad. That being honest is being a good person and being a good citizen (something they discuss and reward at school).

Now has your child had to deal with dishonesty or a cheater?

Separations of late

No. Not me.

I'm SAD that Reece Witherspoon and Ryan Philippe are no longer together. Those two were the "golden" couple. They seemed so happy. They did have that major bump in the road a little while ago but I thought they worked it out. They did get married young. People change. [sigh]

On the other hand, I'm kind of happy that Brit has finally let her man go. I'm not surprised about this latest development. Hopefully, that girl can get herself together and get back in gear. She was looking kind of scuzzy for a bit there. Worn down. She's been working out and even has a new haircut. She looked good on Letterman last night -- but I must say that dress was too short. I do hope she doesn't loose too much money divorcing this guy. Did she have a prenup? I don't remember. I'm also wondering if she was 'waiting' for his album release before cutting him lose. That way he'd have 'his' money. Thoughts?

Anyway....onto a tangent....anyone watch Heros last night? Can you believe that Nikki's son has a 'gift' too? Ha! So what's the list now? The cheerleader, Hiro, Nikki, Nikki's son, the senator, the senator's son, the painter, the cop...and the bad guy. That's 9 of them right? And the comic book was titled "9th Wonder"? I can't wait until next Monday!

Did you do it?

I did. I VOTED! I'm wearing my sticker with pride. How about you?

My parents would be proud. Since we were little, they always stressed to us how important it is to vote. What I voted for wouldn't necessarily end up winning but the fact that I put my 2 cents into any kind of poll -- THAT was what was key. That I tried to effect the outcome. That I did something. I just didn't stand by and "let" it happen.

I thought that if I didn't vote that I didn't have any right to make any complaints on the outcome. It's true. If I didn't take the time or make the effort to vote than I couldn't say a thing.

Hopefully more than 75% of the people out there will vote. Yeah right. We all know that isn't going to happen. But if you don't vote? Please don't complain. You had all the time to register and to make it to the polls (or request an absentee ballot).

And if where YOU stand isn't on the winning side? Well, we all tried. That's what should stand out in your mind. Don't get nasty about the turn-out. Don't start bad mouthing the opposition. If you're not happy then take steps for the next election. Join your party's volunteer group. I know they each have local volunteer branches that make calls to registered voters. You can help your representatiave win. Become active.

More Poopies

My son has been doing fabulous with his new skills. Remember this entry?

Well, he's been a champ at it since then. At night he's been taking care of business. Even yesterday afternoon, he ran downstairs and told my husband.

Poops! Poops!

It's been great not having to deal with a messy bottom. But when he's on the toilet? FUNNIEST thing. Last night he's on the pot....

It's coming! It's coming! [as he's straining]

There was a plop. And then toot-toots galore. And then there was a stench that overcame the bathroom along with a couple more plops. I make a face at the Bear.

Was wong? Is it STINK-ee?

Can you believe he asked me that? He's asking me if it's stinky. Uh...yeah kid. All bowel movements are stinky. But I couldn't respond to him. All I could do is laugh and smile at him and shake my head. Silly, silly boy.

Looks like we're going to get rid of the pull-ups since he's in undies 100% of the day. Only night diapers! Woohoo!

And what's the funniest thing ever? When the Hubs was putting the Bear into his night diaper, the kid was singing "Jesus Loves Me" along with the accompanying hand movements. He is such a cutie! And he's growing up fast!

Home style

I was just watching "What You Get For the Money" on the Fine Living channel. Interesting show. They visit a couple houses that are in the same price range but located in different ciites. You see the difference in what your dollar can get you.

But as I watched with my sleepy Husband's head on my lap, I noted the style that I like is MUCH different than my husand.

I really like modern contemporary. Clean lines. Non-fussy furniture. Streamlined cabinetry. Cork flooring seems nice to me for a kitchen. Light wood - bamboo in particular. Frosted glass. The ease that seems to go with it.

My husband is what I'd call traditional. He likes a formal dining and living room with formal furniture. He likes dark wood. Cherry in particular.

Total opposites, right? But we do have a formal living and dining room.With furniture in it that we rarely use. We've got this ornate large scale bedroom set. We've got cherry cabinets in all the bathrooms & our kitchen. We have lots of traditional stuff. So our house basically reflects my husband's style.

But my fantasy vacation house will have my style in it. That's right. My FANTASY vacation home. Something that we may be able to afford....only in my dreams. Simple neutrals with splashes of color. Easy inexpensive (read that as IKEA) furniture that we won't care gets a little dinged.

Now does your house reflect your style? Your husbands? None?

Finally....my follow-up

Early this afternoon I had my follow-up from my well-woman visit. Dr. Gyno performed a colposcopy in the office. It's basically a closer look at my cervix trying to locate any 'unusual' cells.

Based upon my initial PAP results, Dr. Gyno was surprised at how my cervix actually looked. My PAP results were in the moderate to severe range, so he expected to see a more widespread amount of unusual cells. Apparently, the unusual cells he saw were more localized. One spot. He took two biopsy samples and then scraped the cervix entry point. Him taking the biopsies were no big deal. Uncomfortable but not bad. Now the scraping? THAT was pretty bad. He said 15 to 30 seconds of cramping like sensations. It was more like a minute! OY! But that bit is over so that's fine. The biopsy results will take about 7 days. He said that if I hadn't received a call by Thursday afternoon of next week that I should call. We did discuss next steps if the biopsy results did not put me in the 'clear'. That he'd remove the cells. Actually scrape the layers of the section that had the bad cells. But I do need to wait a week to find out one way or another.

But since I'm talking about well-woman visits, do you take particular "care" before you go in for your yearly exam? I mean, you healthy gals probably only see your Gyno every year. Other ladies see their Gynos once a month (birth control patch or ring). But do you do anything more than you normally do before you go in?

As for me, I try to make sure my legs are smooth. I've got a nice bikini line - even though they don't check out the front! And I try to be nice and manicured. Not naked. Not shaved. But not bushy. More of a closely cropped look. But that's a look I try to keep all the time in the netherlands.

But I have to tell you that I know more than a handful of gals who do nothing to their bits. No shaving. No waxing. NOTHING.

Then again there are those who maintain the smooth look - which I can't do because I can't handle the itchiness.

Then there are those who get professional help and get Brazilians. Now THAT is something I am quite interested in. Does it hurt more than just a regular bikini wax? Does it last the full 6 weeks before you need another session? Do you only get a Brazilian when it's swimsuit season or all year round? I'm curious! Seriously! If you do this, please drop me a line. I'm contemplating this as there is going to be a new day spa opening up in our neighborhood by the end of this year.

Now how did you like the way I turned this entry around to discuss netherland 'maintenance'?

FYI..... in the last 30 hours....three of the four people that live in this house have seen a doctor.
* My son saw his pediatrician at 2:30pm yesterday for his smoker's cough. Sounds like this cough is going around with all the kids. No professional meds required. Over the counter cough stuff at night is all.
* Me for my follow-up visit at 1:30pm
* My girl went to Urgent Care at 5:30pm because her cheeks had red bumps developing. She stayed home today with a moderate fever (100 - 101), so we weren't sure if she was getting chicken pox or not. We need to know this because the Hubs has never had chicken pox.

Oh....I wonder what our insurance will be thinking when they get all the medical paperwork?

Hooray!

On Saturdays or Sundays it's always fun watching the Bear watch football.

He cheers up a storm.

"Go! Go! Go! GO!" Each word said with increased volume and vigor.

"Free. Two. Won! Go - go -go!"

"Run. Run."

"Catch it! Catch it!"

"Oh! Oh! Gooood job!"

The kid is on fire with cheering. But he has no concept of encouraging any one team. He doesn't care who is on offense or on defense. If he sees a good play, he'll cheer.

That made me think "When do we get so competitive with sports?"

The Bear just sees good plays. Cheers when someone catches an awesome throw. Cheers when there's a touchdown. Cheers when he sees someone make a good run OR a good tackle. He just looks at the positives. He doesn't care about the score.

No. My son isn't in any competitive sports right now. He's got enough running and jumping and swinging and sliding in his schedule at daycare. He doesn't need any additional physical exercise.

But right now? I'm enjoying that he's looking at sports with rose colored glasses. That it's all about the good. This football season has been a BLAST!