Another freakin interruption

What the heck is going on?

35 minutes into Hero, our local cable company decided to run their monthly check of the Emergency Broadcast System.

50 minutes into Hero, there was an Amber Alert.

HUH?

I know that the Amber Alert couldn't be helped, but the test of the Emergency Broadcast? Don't they normally perform that test during the daytime?

Now I'm going to have to go online tomorrow to see if I missed any important information. Micah took a huge wad of money from an ATM. The psych lady at the jail wants to meet Jessica - can you say BIG mistake? Claire found her fire-starter Mom. And the commercial tease? WHO is her Daddy? And Sylar has freed himself! Ay-yay-yay!

The finale is on Wednesday

I am so ecstatic about the Top Chef finale this coming Wednesday.

Elia? She did well at the Elimination Challenge but she made it TOO much her own. I thought the same about Ilan's dishes as well. But Ilan used the Taro so that gave him a leg up. Which sucks because I was VERY surprised that Sam was ousted. He concentrated on learning pastries during the break. DESSERTS? SAM! It would have been fabulous to see Sam at the finale.

I am glad that Marcel got to the finals. He deserves it. He did the right thing about learning things about Hawaiian dishes. And what's great is to hear that he constantly tries to learn new things about food. The cutting edge.

And how the other contestants didn't like Marcel? I really saw it like a high school scene. People not liking others because the cool kids or the majority didn't like someone. I liked Marcel. I saw him constantly offering his assistance to the others even if they didn't have a kind word to say about him. And when he snapped at Betty? Marcel had just been snapped at by someone else. And did he ask for an apology? NO! When Frank got in his face about the toothbrush? The toothbrush was in a bag on the floor.

Also, Marcel wasn't talking smack about others behind their back. Did you catch all the hideous comments others made about Marcel? It was horrible. I couldn't believe that last comment that Ilan made at the end of the last show. "I've got more in my knife bag than some paprika." WOW! It was very bitter. It was not a nice interaction to witness.

So as someone who wasn't in the popular crowd in high school.... I think Marcel is a good guy. Just misunderstood.

But I'll be on pins and needles until the finale on Wednesday. Woohoo!

Budget me budget

I've put myself on a budget people!

Now that the holidays and birthdays are over, I can actually dedicate myself to paying off my bills. My credit card to be specific. My one and only credit card. But it's got a high balance. It got high when I wasn't working. When I was solely a non-professional, stay-at-home Mom.

But now that I'm working? And there are no parties and presents I want to purchase, that high balance is going to go down. Any undedicated money I make - the stuff that's not going to our utilities or my car payment is going to go to the card. YEAH! I am SERIOUSLY going to get control of it by May. And THAT is going to make me so, so happy. I am uncomfortable where that card stands now. It blows my mind that I've got it so high. But I'm on a mission. And hopefully it'll work the way I've planned it out on paper.

The show that irked me

It was "The VEE-YEW."

There's been a lot of controversy related to that show since that new co-host started. I had been watching it...no longer. I can't stand the way they talk over Elizabeth, who has a lot of views akin to my own. They don't let her finish her thoughts. They talk over her. She displays more respect for them - allowing them to express their feelings (v-i-e-w) on things before she begins to speak. So like I said....I am no longer watching it.

How about you? Do you watch some shows just to watch the monologue in the beginning? You know, like SNL or Regis & Kelly or The Tonight Show?

And the PEDs verdict is...

The Bear is healthy, healthy, healthy.

It didn't matter that he's just getting over a cold and had boogie-fever at the appointment. Overall, he's a typical healthy boy. Dr. Beth actually commented that since "he's slender..." Slender? MY BOY? I guess based upon his current measurements, he is slender. He's now 41" tall and 37 pounds. We tried to get an eye-check but the kid didn't understand what the gal was asking him. No biggie. But the Bear had to get THREE shots yesterday. He was brave though. He only cried while the nurse pushed the fluids into his arms. Once she finished all three, he stopped. I think it was more of a SHOCK to him than anything. He doesn't remember getting shots. But thankfully this'll be the LAST set of shots until he's 12 or so. WHEW!

What really got the Bear's mind off the shots was a photo that Dr. Beth showed him AFTER his shots. It was a photo of Mr. Incredible next to Dr. Beth! The Bear was wearing one of his Mr. Incredible shirts. Apaprently, one of the drug reps that stops by Dr. Beth's office is a huge blonde guy and he dressed up as Mr. Incredible for Halloween. And the Bear? He was so in AWE that Dr. Beth knew Mr. Incredible. The expression on his face was precious!

But there was an interesting hand-out at the front desk of Dr. Beth's office. It described the "new immunization recommendations" that the office was adopting.

1. Oral Rotaq to be given at 2, 4 and 6 months. A vaccine against Rotavirus, which causes potentially serious bouts of diarrheal illness. That's a biggie. I know that when my kids were babies, I dreaded and hoped they wouldn't get diarrhea. Thankfully, they never got it when they were that little. How much more hydration could a kid get at that age from breast milk or formula?
2. 2nd dose of Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine at the 4-5 year check-up. It isn't an additional shot. It's combined with the MMR shot. This is one that the Bear received.
3. Gardasil to be given at 11 years and up. This is that new HPV cervical cancer vaccine, which is 3 doses at 2 month intervals.

I'm glad that they had this hand-out. Now I know that my daughter will be able to get that new HPV vaccine when she's 11. That was something I was going to ask about anyway. By the time my girl is 11, I'm sure they'll have tweaked the vaccine to include even more HPV strains.

Now for those of you with daughters who are 11 and older, are YOU going to bring your girls in to get this shot? If your daughter(s) have already received it, what did your pediatrician say about it?

And there's more to debate about our kids

Not MY kids. ALL of our school age kids.

I heard a blurb on the television this morning about a movement for "No Homework".

I find it an interesting thought but I don't have any hardline opinions on it. I know that when I was older that I needed time to review and study data. History. Practice math problems. Write up essays. I did that at home after school. In middle/junior and high school. I don't think I had "real" homework in elementary school at all. There were a few things but not a daily regiment of items to finish.

Kids nowadays seem to have homework every day. But then again that all depends on the school. I know that in Kindergarten, my daughter had homework she had to accomplish for the week but the neighborhood kindergarten kids had nothing to turn in. And now that my girl is in first grade, she has assignments for the week that need to be turned in by Friday. Not a whole lot. Mainly something that reinforces what the lesson plan is for the week. Some math. Some writing. Spelling. And then she has to read out loud for 15 minutes each day.

The thing is, I don't have my kids in a bunch of activities. When they're home they get to play. We're not off to classes or whatever. I am thinking of getting each into ONE activity per week. But that's not like what I hear about other kids' schedules. Some kids are out 5 days a week with activities. For my kids, I think that's too much. One should suffice for now. I like for them to have free time when they're home. Time to do what THEY want to do.

As for no homework? I think it's something that I want my kids to have. Assignments where I can help them solidify what they've learned in class. Where I can see if the lessons are sinking into their brains. You know?

So what do you think about "no homework"?

Back in our room

The Bear is back to sleeping in our room at night. Not in our bed. In our room.

We still have the crib converted to a toddler bed located at the end of our bed. And that's where he's slept the last two nights.

For months now, he's awakened every night. And he's walked downstairs and slept on the couch in our family room. The family room is next to our master bedroom. But two nights ago he kept on walking into our room. And trying to get my attention. He was standing on my side of the bed staring at my sleeping face. After asking him deliriously about 5 or 6 times to go back to sleep, the kid gave up trying to get into bed with me. I found him the next morning in the toddler bed. So last night we told him that the toddler bed was an okay place for him to lay his head IF he woke up at night. That he was NOT going to bother us. That he was going to lay down on the toddler bed and go to sleep.

And last night? We didn't get interrupted. I didn't have to wake up. The Bear made his way to the toddler bed and fell asleep. AND he slept in too. Until 7:30am (he normally wakes by 6am each and every morning). Unheard of. But it happened. Thank goodness!

We've already got Thanksgiving planned out

You knew I was a planner but REALLY!

These plans are only in place now because of the Hubs. He found out that his alma mater was going to have their long Thanksgiving weekend game on Thanksgiving night instead of on Friday this year. And since we're spending Thanksgiving here in AZ, the Hubs plans on attending the game (he's been a season ticket holding for about 6 years now). He doesn't plan on missing it. So since the game is in Phoenix, the Hubs volunteered his Mom host Thanksigiving this year. And he told her yesterday. What's funny about him having this discussion with his Mom was that she protested having to host Thanksgiving. I mean, we hosted Thanksgiving LAST year (2005). But everyone had to drive down to our house (1.5 hour drive to and 1.5 hour back). I didn't mind hosting. It was a fun day. But it put everyone else out because of the long drive. The thing is we are NOT planning on spending the night at my ILs house. We've already got our sights set on the Hilton up in Scottsdale.

Now do you think we're crazy? We just want to avoid any confusion later on in the year as the time approaches. Do you make your holiday plans early each year? Or do you 'fly by the seat of your pants' each year?

Choices on tv

We all makes hundreds of choices each day. Do we hit the snooze button or wake up when the alarm clock goes off? Do we want orange juice or coffee? Should we stop for gas now or later? Every single day.

This morning, there was a discussion on a morning show about a program that aired the last night. A program that millions of people watched. The morning panel seemed disgusted about the content of last night's program.

"Does America really want to watch that?"
"What are those people thinking putting that on tv?"
"They were so rude...."

Those were a couple paraphrased comments from this morning's show. But really. I didn't watch last night's program. I KNEW what was going to happen. That's why I didn't watch it.

But what's crazy is that this morning program was so disgusted by the show but still watched it? It's a CHOICE! You choose to set your tv to that program or not. If the content offends you, then change the station. Plain and simple. It just confounded me that these women were ragging on the show for minutes on end. They even showed CLIPS from this so-called horrible program. [snort] This boggled my mind. Some people watch Jerry Springer. Some people watched Geraldo. Some people watch Oprah. It's a choice.

So you ladies? If the program has stuff you don't like? CHANGE THE STATION!

Finally better

Last night was the first night that I've been able to sleep without having a coughing fit sometime through the night. I actually got more than a 4 hour stretch! I'm no longer a zombie. On Friday, I actually went in and got some meds for my irritated throat. I had to gargle this solution and it numbed the back of my throat. It was FABULOUS! And I didn't talk all weekend. I just wrote stuff down on a pad for the Hubs and the Prin. I used hand motions and expressions. It turned out fine. But I think my silent weekend and the meds really helped my throat heal faster. So I'm actually able to talk now and not cough every few minutes. WHEW!

What's even better is that the Hubs and I were able to sleep in the same bed together. When I got sick, he slept in the guest room. We always do this so the other won't get sick as well. Plus, I didn't want to disturb HIS sleep with all my hacking away at night. I mean, I was up from 3 to 5 times a night taking meds. Not pretty. Not a scenario for much sleep. So last night? We were finally able to sleep up against each other on such a cold night. Just to hear him breathing next to me. It was nice.

For those of you still dealing with being sick? My heart goes out to you. I haven't been THIS sick (about 10 days worth) since before the kids were born. And it was NOT fun at all. So drink LOTS of water. Get a couple naps in if you can. Make sure to take your meds religiously. You'll be better in no time.

Sick sick sick

Last Friday night, I was feeling unusually tired. T-I-R-E-D!

The Hubs brought home a large cheese pizza and some salad. I only ate some salad. When I did that, the Hubs KNEW I wasn't myself. I went to sleep around 10pm. I didn't get out of bed on Saturday until 10am. And I had an amazingly bad headache, my joints, my bones, and my muscles hurt like crazy. I sent the Hubs off to the store to get me some medication. I went back to bed and ended up sleeping for an hour. Thankfully, the meds worked and I didn't have the massive headache anymore (just a small one). But by 2 o'clock I was dead tired. I went back to bed and didn't wake until almost 6. And I ended up wrapping up my day by 9pm. That's right people, Saturday was spent mostly sleeping. And I still slept the whole night through. I was still tired on Sunday. I worked a few hours but I mostly lounged and napped.

I'm just so thankful I went down on the weekend. The Hubs stepped up and took care of the kids during the day. Took them outside. Kept them occupied. The Princess knew that I felt horrible. The Bear just knew not to come into our bedroom when the door was closed.

TMI this paragraph....On Tuesday morning, I visited the Urgent Care (U.C.) down the street. I had a nose-bleed that would not stop. There was so much blood. There was so much that I actually had to spit some out of my mouth. ICK! But after 25 minutes of trying, I ended up sneezing and the trickle began to flow once more. The doc at U.C. said my nasal passages looked bone dry and that I had an upper respiratory infection. That I needed to spray saline into my nostrils every couple of hours and to put a thin coat of petroleum jelly into each nostril. Yes. My nose has been THAT dry. It hasn't helped that the humidity in AZ is so low and the heater just SUCKS whatever moisture is left.

So it's Friday and I'm STILL recovering. I've been coughin up a storm every night. When I lay down I end up having to cough. The urge to cough is so strong. I've been miserable. I'm tired but can't GET to sleep. So I'm mending ever so slowly. Hopefully I'll get to 100% this weekend.

Hopefully you are all healthy right now. TRY your best not to get sick. It really is horrible this season....

We lost a friend

About 6 months after we got married, we had to move to Phoenix for the Hubs' job. We met a gentleman named "Dave", who basically ran the main office that the Hubs worked at. Dave turned out to be the SWEETEST man ever. Always smiling. Always cheerful. In person and on the phone. No matter how crazy the office situation happened to be. When he answered the phone, you could just "see" the smile on his face. He supported all the young guys that went through the office. He knew what was going on with everyone.

We found out this past weekend that Dave passed away suddenly on January 2. We still don't know the details of what happened. And it doesn't really matter to us. We're just saddened that the world won't have this wonderful man in it. But he was a man of faith. So we know he's in a happy place.

Yesterday, the Hubs was able to drive out to pay our respects to Dave's wife and girls. He hooked up with all the guys he used to work with. They told stories about Dave. The one I enjoy the best was when the Hubs had to take one of the work cars.

Dave: So Mr. Graceful, you going to take the Barnaby car?
Hubs: Barnaby car?
Dave: Yes. The purple one?
Hubs: Oh....you mean the Barney car?
Dave: Isn't that what I said?
Hubs: Yeah Dave....that's what you said.

Dave would always make these little foibles which would make everyone laugh. But the thing is? He made everyone smile. Every day. He was a special man. Dave? We'll miss you. Your smile. Your joy of life.