Wednesday, April 30, 2008

the degradation of Mama

when Z learned to talk, he said Poppa first.

I think there were even a few other words spoken before he finally got around to Mama. But it was Mama, for years, & i LOVED it.

somewhere over the past year, it transitioned into Mom, which i wasn't happy about.

(Poppa also transitioned into Dad, also frowned upon.)

So we've had talks about what we are to be called, Poppa & Mama.

Lately though, i've been called "MowMow" what that is or how it was derived i have no idea. He's also said PowPow a few times.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

about the color red

last night Z picks out his clothes for school today - a superman shirt & red shorts.
this morning he gets dressed, then he takes off the shirt.

he comes back with a red shirt to match his red shorts but the reds don't match so i try to explain to him that he can't wear the top & bottom when the reds don't match but before i can get too far into it, he's already left the room.

he comes back with another red shirt & as he's putting it on, i try again to explain. then B gets involved also trying to explain.

then Z starts crying.

i tell him the superman shirt looked fine with his shorts & B says we should just let him wear the red shirt & not care that he doesn't match, so what if his friends make fun of him.

but i say "no, we can't do that, look how many years it took me to train you how to dress"

& B says "you trained me how to dress?"

"yeah"

"so you take credit for my clothes?"

"not always, sometimes i just don't have it in me to fight the Wisconsin in you"

Monday, April 28, 2008

achy breaky

the other day the boy is going around singing

"don't break apart, my achy breaky heart".

so i'm compelled to ask "what?"

he looks at me blankly

"could you repeat that?"

i just said "don't break apart, my achy breaky heart"

"ok, but where did you hear that?" (such sounds & words ain't allowed in our household)

"Elise & Lizzy were singing it."

Alright, the girls can listen to country & sing all they want, & i'm ok with you learning the lyrics from them, but you, you are not allowed to listen to achy breaky heart mister...

Sunday, April 27, 2008

had a bit of a scare

last week B brings up "hey, aren't you a little late?"

"um, it's soon"

"no i think you're late"

so i go look at the calendar & it's been 6 WEEKS! WTF
no let me repeat WWWTTTFFF!!!
yeah, can you say perplexed?
how about elevated blood pressure?

Sunday am, we no longer needed to worry, but DANG it was a rough couple of days there.

then i remembered i had my period when we were in sd, so i wasn't late at all. that mark on the calendar mid-march was for something else...what i can't recall.

Friday, April 25, 2008

old movies

i caught part of Grease 2 while home for lunch, such a silly movie. i got to see rehearsals for "a girl for all seasons", the unforgettable "cool rider" & had to wait around for "who's that guy?"

i love to re-watch movies, especially ones that i haven't seen in a really long time. i like to compare whatever it was that stood out to me about the movie back then, opposed to what i notice now. not that long ago i caught the end of Sid & Nancy & i was amazed at what a fantastic job Gary Oldman did portraying Sid.

about dinner last night

so we did the soccer thing, then we did the dinner thing & then i did the funny thing.

all the adults sat at the big table & the boys sat a little table by themselves & had their own tv to watch cartoons. it was nice to have the boys entertain each other. then Z runs up to the table & says he has to potty, then he says "real bad".

in Z terms that's the equivalent of "i've already starting peeing in pants."

so i get up & we hurry out of the banquet room, down the hallway, then once i can see up ahead start running towards the bathroom...& it goes south from there.

we enter the bathroom & i nudge him to the back of the room where there's an open stall & then i notice urinals on the wall & then i notice a guy washing his hands (which is weird in itself because in my experience it's a rare occasion for a guy to wash up).

but i digress...yeah, urinals....& a guy...& well, it was a lot to process in the frantic moments of trying to get a little one in the bathroom as fast as possible; before he pees all over himself, then cries because he's wet & is too embarrassed to hang out with his big boy friends anymore.

but what was even funnier is the guy apologized to me "oh i'm sorry" so i'm pretty sure the look on my face was
"wtf are YOU doing here?"
never mind that i was in the men's room.

so i finally look at the door (& although it was probably only seconds to process but felt like hours) i put together urinals + man in room + "men" sign on the door = I'M the one in the wrong place.

so apologized to him as i changed to a few shades of scarlet & waited outside for Z to finish his business.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Greys!!!!

wow, i don't know if i can handle all this excitement! a NEW episode of Grey's will be on tonight! Z has soccer, then we have a work anniversary dinner, but we are SO going to be home before 8:00!

update 1:14pm, i realized Grey's is on at 9 not 8, so i have a better chance of getting to see it. but tonight is also bath night for Z, so have to work that in. i told B it's his responsibility to come up with a lie if we need one in order to get home on time. he said because he loves me so much, he didn't have a problem with that.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

PETA is crazy

i just read this article that PETA is offering big $$ to any group who can create meat.

is that strange to anyone besides me? here we are in the middle of this organic this/organic that backlash. & now we are supposed to bring own hemp bags to the grocery store to take home some fresh from the test tube chicken...
doesn't that sound tasty?
wonder what kind of lab sauce they'll make to go with it?

while i am against animals being treated poorly (even the ones we eat), what really got me was this offer is made because they want to find a better way of dealing with "America's meat addiction". so the creation of space meat would logically stop the cruel methods used to raise & butcher the animals we eat today. instead of trying to create meat why don't they research better methods of humanely raising the animals?

but in the end, these animals aren't pets, they will be butchered & YES, i'm very thankful to not be the one who has to do the butchering or pluck that chicken.
i'm with courtney cox, if we weren't supposed to eat it, it wouldn't taste so good. (yeah, i know it was her character, in a show, that i don't watch; but i liked the statement.)

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

what bothers me

when i've managed to get all my daily surfing completed by 10:30am

how our morning went

i got up & got in the shower
B got up & got in the shower
i went to wake up Z
Z goes & sits on the toilet, then as i'm dressing he hollars "i have a bloody nose"
so i tell him to get some paper & to lay down, but then i see he's still sitting on the toilet
i go back to dressing then Z says "i got poop on the rug"

ugh...what? how did that happen? (B laughing in the background)
somehow the nosebleed distracted Z from his original reason for being on the toilet & he forgot to wipe his bottom.

so B tells me "see you will never understand boys"

YEAH, like that's a bad thing? you want/expect me to understand forgetting to wipe poop off your butt & not realize it until you've sat somewhere else & smeared it all over?

so Z gets up & wipes his bottom, but i don't know has problems & ends up with poop all over his hand & B is just laughing his ass off, while i'm getting more & more perplexed. why does poop removal have to be this difficult?

would someone please tell me?

i give Z more paper & tell him to clean, he cleans his hands not his bottom & but then out of nowhere he pulls a piece of toilet paper from his bottom...more hysterical laughter from B.

yeah, i don't get it, i don't know that i ever will.

Monday, April 21, 2008

the W

people around here won't even say it, they call it "the W" because if you say, really you have beckoned it to come forth. well someone, i don't know who, but somebody done went & sang it from the rooftops!
i didn't know it, but there must be a rain dance for the W, & boy, did it respond.

Sat & Sun were tremendously Wy days. Awful, & i hate the W, always have. I remember being a kid at my Nana's house & her house is really old, has single pane windows that have putty or whatever it is to hold them in place but heat/cold/age causes it to fall apart so the wind...ah, crap, i said (er, wrote) it, the W makes the glass shake in it's frame - hate that!

it was also howling Sat & Sun night so i woke up all night long.
& why does it have to come on the weekend?
why does it have to ruin 2 otherwise perfect days for being outside?
it's a nice day today, but i have to be in the office..grr darn W, but i respect thee!

official time

2:00 offical nappy time
4:00 official snack time
there, it's in writing, now it's law...abide by it!

i think i got it

interview went well. talked to the current employee, job sounds weird - a lot of multi-tasking & setting priorities, very similar to TMaG.
bonus - they're willing to pay me what i used to make! whoohoo!

Friday, April 18, 2008

how B & i spent the day

i dropped Z off at school in the morning & parked the car on the front lawn because it desperately needs to be washed. But B had other plans, so we loaded our trash & the tenant's refrigerator in the truck & went to the dump. then we went to HD to buy new kitchen appliances.

i don't think under normal circumstances we would have bitten that bullet but the old tenant f'd up the stove beyond repair. ok, not beyond repair, but in the arena of $450 worth of damage. both B & i are bitter about having to buy a new stove for the tenant while we hate everything about this kitchen.

the microwave, which is relatively new, less than 3 years, is on the blink.
it's moody - if you let the time run out on it, it has a hissy fit & you have to:
reset time
select am/pm
month
day
& year
several times before it will be at peace & willing to work for you again. your only lifesaver is the "add 30 sec" button but if you forget, walk away, let that baby run out & you will be paying for it - no instant gratification for you!

the stove...ugh, the stove, not only is it old & ugly, it doesn't even have a bottom drawer in a kitchen the size of a matchbox, & it's CRAP. the burners are either off or on, forget about simmer, not in it's vocabulary your choices are violent, overflowing boil or takes 2 days to warm. it took me a awhile to figure how to operate the oven & stovetop at the same time. you have to jimmy-rig the burners in order to use both 'features' of this stove because they do not like working in tandem. the stove has to be turned down to it's lowest setting, then select your burner, turn on the gas to it's lowest setting & use a match to light. once lit, the stove can be turned back up to it's original setting but don't get crazy with the burner it will go out & filling the kitchen with gas.....hmmm, maybe i don't need a sledgehammer to take that wall down after all.....

the dishwasher is not so bad, it's sustained many a kick (not my kicks, previous dwellers) so it's a tough one. but it doesn't clean dishes, just rinses them. everything i put in there has to be thoroughly inspected before i put it away. i really would hate to give someone a plate w/either left over food stuck to the plate or even residue from the wash. it also leaks out the front which Z feels is extremely important to point out every time he sees it. so i hardly ever used it, mainly when guests come over otherwise maybe once a month or so. Z likes to help me close the soap dish & turn it on.

so here were are, having to buy a new stove for someone else & hating everything we have, so what did we decide to do? we decided to buy new appliances for this house, micro, stove & dishwasher. the plan is to order parts for the SD house stove, we'll take the new stove down there & install, bring the 1/2ass stove up here which B will try to fix. B's a pretty handy guy so we're pretty confident he will be able to fix it & once that's done we'll take the stove back down there & we will get the new stove back.

hope our plan works out!

lunch w/Z

i visited Z at school for lunch; it was the cutest.

he's been bugging me for the longest time to come have lunch with him. so i had B drop me off after our dump/HD trip at school so i could sit w/Z. he was sitting outside & he spotted me before i saw him in the slew of kids. he was so happy to have me there, he moved over so i could sit next to him, he ate his potatos & hamburger stopping to hug me every few minutes.

they blew the whistle that lunch was over & all the kids got in a line. Z told Ashley he was sorry but she had to be alone today. i asked him what that was about & he said they always hold hands on the way back to class, so i told him to finish his milk so he could hold my hand & her hand. he did, but she went off w/other friends. as we walked to class several of the kids were telling me about Z & his girlfriend A. i stayed w/Z awhile but then realized i was starving having had only a cup of coffee for the day, so i walked home.

when school was over i walked back & he & i walked home together. his buddy came over that afternoon but things didn't go so well between the 2. i think Z was just tired & cranky.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

speaking of grey

this morning B tells me he's no longer going to be able to hide the fact that he's going grey (not that he was doing a good job in the first place because both his hair & beard are getting salty).

i thought he pointed out a grey eyebrow & teased him i would get him some hair dye for that. i also boohooed it because i've started getting them too but i'm pluck them out.

but i was mistaken & he showed me again & this time pointed out a grey eyelash. so i told him i would get some mascara!

but he would have to be careful about batting his eyelashes...

interview on Monday

passed the phone interview, have a face to face Monday - whoo hoo!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

EXCITED!

yesterday afternoon i got a kick-back from 3 positions i had applied to. i was SO bummed, i really want a new job, a challenging job, i really need to get the cobwebs out of my brain....& more $ would be nice.

i checked all my job boards after that & found one possible fit & i uploaded my resume.

right now, frustrated & just feeling ick about this stupid job, i checked home e-mail & i GOT A RESPONSE & they want me to call them. i'm so fricken excited i have to wait to call them because i'll probably scare them as i jump through the telephone lines screaming "hire me, hire me!"

i had to call B at work to let go of some of it but he was busy & thought i was being silly. i told him i was going to go home & have a shot of tequila, then call the guy, i'm sure that would do well for me. kinda like when i interviewed at the bank & i was high on painkillers from passing that kidney stone "yeah, i'm fricken great, hire me" oh, sorry about the drool...

ok, i think i got some of that out, i think i can call him now....wish me luck

oh please, please, please
let me get what i want
lord knows it would be the first time

just a little quote from morrissey...makes everyone's day a little brighter, or greyer, depends i guess...

Monday, April 14, 2008

oops!

i totally just burped in front of my boss, mid-conversation...oops!

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Z’s soccer summary

on thur's night was Z's first soccer practice (we missed last week's because we were out of town). he had fun chasing the ball around & being part of a team. he did get tired in the end & started falling behind the pack.

he's a good kicker, had control at one point then a kid came up behind & pushed him making him fall down & cry. he didn't hurt himself, but he's certainly not used to such behavior, hopefully he'll toughen up some.

Sat 8AM was his first game. it was funny, Z's team all just followed the ball wherever it went; the other team held their positions & had a boy not much taller than my knee & he was a ringer! i think he got 4 goals in 10 minutes!
Z had to sit out for awhile because his team had too many players & he was chit-chatting with a buddy from class instead of paying attn to the game.
Z's team only got one goal but they were all going around "yeah we won!"
uh, no ya didn't, but let's not ruin that spirit....

yesterday Z & i practiced his kicking & running after the ball in the backyard (grass is awesome!) every time he kicks he falls on his butt so i'm trying to get him to either not fall or to pick himself up right away if he does. then he got frustrated though, definitely our child, he just wanted to kick goals & have me stand there, if i stopped the ball he threw a fit.

Friday, April 11, 2008

as seen on tv

i'm always interested in those "as seen on tv" products & wonder, does that stuff really work, so i ran across an article this morning that reviewed a couple of items. the comments were pretty funny but the best was about "the clapper". apparently the clapper may lead to electrical problems &/or fires & i quote "there's nothing worse than a flaming clapper" - hahahaha!

if you'd like to read for yourself:
http://tech.msn.com/products/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=6651102&icid=tg6651102>1=40000

Thursday, April 10, 2008

had to do it

http://www.organize.com/pink-slipper-genie.html

so i have yet to make a post about how disgusting the house was & yeah, i guess B has convinced me that i am a bit of a cleaning natzi, but i have yet to purchase some of those cleaning slippers! (thanks for the link maya, i'm so exciting to explore this site!)

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

going home

last week we went home, real home, SD home

i was nervous to go, i know i shouldn’t but i love that house, love that neighborhood, so i apprehensive to see what we would find, to stay there, to have to leave it again.

the house was gross, but it still brought back the memories of the first time we walked though it, when i dragged B from room to room, showing him how beautiful it was, the little windows that sat at the kitchen counter level to let in extra sun & just perfect for plants, the big slider out to the nice backyard with an awesome view of the valley, the master bedroom with another big slider & an extra window above it (that let’s in the moon light & lets you tan in the morning while you’re all nice & cozy in bed!), the little middle bedroom that was perfect for a nursery, the 3rd bedroom with yet another slider (regular size) & a little private alcove.

yeah, home, nice to visit, but couldn’t stay, not this time at least.

as we cleaned & painted, we also showed the house to a few potential renters (5 total). when we left, we had a signed lease. a mom & adult daughter are moving in; they lost their house & were very thankful to rent ours. they said they would take care of our home for us, i hope they do.

injury count for the week

a family of klutzes:

Z
1) tore through the master bedroom screen door, shook the entire house, when we found him he was still on the floor in a daze;
2) was jumping off his fold up Mickey Mouse beach chair (thankfully Momma got the hifalutin $10 one at HD not the cheapy $5 one at Pic-N-Spence, so it wasn’t the chair that collapsed) but he was swinging his bat at the tree branches above him & managed to come straight down on the end of the bat hitting that tender space just below the lip so he tore the skin outside on the bat & inside on his teeth (the next morning he was saying the scab on the outside was his beard!);
3) remember that master bedroom door, we thought he had learned his lesson about that, but the cleaning crew did such a fantastic job this time he ran into the DOOR! yes the 4 foot glass door, at full throttle (because boys know nothing less), he left a face print along with some saliva & lip prints on the door. of course he cried on that one, he was hurt & embarrassed, but once B confessed his story about running into the door, Z lightened up about it.

B - although Z has a paragraph, B wins the event with one action...falling off the cooler & seriously injuring his leg. i wasn’t around so i didn’t see it & it just looked like a scrape at first but a few hours later when he showed it to me, his calf had swollen so much he could barely get his pant leg up over it to show me the damage. he iced it down, but we had work that had to be done, so unfortunately he wasn’t able to get the rest that it required so instead of getting better, he got worse the swelling subsided on the calf but increased on the ankle. we came home Sat & took him to E/R - antibiotics & vicodin. he still has a knot in the middle of his calf, ankle still swollen & pretty much all of it is purple, even on his foot.

somehow or another i managed to get out unscathed, of course it’s april, my month for accidental self inflicting wounds is october (2006 the table/eyebrow incident, 2007 the lawnmower/toe one) ....i’m scared, i told B just to keep up the pace i was going to have to cut off a finger or something.