Haven't got pictures of all of us yet, we're missing Wonder Woman and the Incredible Hulk (my camera battery died, so I have to get them from a friend who took some with her camera), but here are the kids in costume:
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
By Request: An Exposition on Dr. Laura
Many people know I have a love/hate relationship with Dr. Laura - 20% love, 80% hate. So when she announced she would go off the air as of 2011, my first thought was, "Good riddance!" and my second was, "What am I going to listen to while I'm driving?"
On the pro side, I think she is often sensible and has a straight-talk way about her that some idiots seem to need to figure out their miserable lives. On the con side, I think she is rude, condescending, annoying, hypocritical, screechy and seems more inclined to reiterate her point of the day than to actually listen to the caller's question. She has an uncanny way of asking her own questions that don't have anything to do with the person's problem, and spinning it in such a way that she can make a point that she is obsessed with making. She interrupts people without apology but reams you up and down if you interrupt her. Oh, and she loves to harass women for being too bossy and demanding towards their hardworking husbands, but somehow I just cannot see her as being a sweet compliant 50's housewife herself. More like a whip-wielding dominatrix. And a million other loathsome qualities.
But like thousands of others I had a conundrum and thought, "What the hey - I'll call her up and see what she thinks." I asked her how to help my husband make better food choices so he would live long and prosper. And she's a bit of a fat-ist, so I knew she'd have an opinion. Assuming that I had married a child with no abilities or will of his own she gave me the useless answer to, "just feed him healthy food." Of course she wouldn't afford me the opportunity to explain that her answer was unhelpful because my husband was actually a big boy who could go to the grocery store all by himself and had the free will to choose not to eat the healthy vegetables I served. She hangs up on people who veer away from the point she wants to make so the listeners don't get confused by relevant facts.
Just to torture myself, I called her another time when I was concerned that our little doggy wasn't getting as much attention from the kids as I thought she needed. I explained that we got the dog under the assumption that the kids would play with her all the time, but that oftentimes it felt like she wouldn't get the attention I expected the kids to give her (and being a mom of 4 at the time, I didn't feel like I could add doggy playtime to my to-do list). She told me I was a bad mother for getting a dog for little kids. I think she thought I expected them to take care of the vet appointments and training and walks. Again, she wasn't interested in understanding the situation, but did want to make a point that parents should not expect kids to be responsible for pets. (And in case you are a dog-lover who is worried about our pet, rest assured I take care of her needs, and under the threat of letting another family adopt her, the kids do better now too).
Again, thanks, Dr. Laura, for not listening and for giving me advice I cannot use.
Change that to 10% love, 90% hate. Still, if she called me up and invited me to brunch, I'd gratefully accept and be nothing but sweet and agreeable the whole time. What is wrong with me??
On the pro side, I think she is often sensible and has a straight-talk way about her that some idiots seem to need to figure out their miserable lives. On the con side, I think she is rude, condescending, annoying, hypocritical, screechy and seems more inclined to reiterate her point of the day than to actually listen to the caller's question. She has an uncanny way of asking her own questions that don't have anything to do with the person's problem, and spinning it in such a way that she can make a point that she is obsessed with making. She interrupts people without apology but reams you up and down if you interrupt her. Oh, and she loves to harass women for being too bossy and demanding towards their hardworking husbands, but somehow I just cannot see her as being a sweet compliant 50's housewife herself. More like a whip-wielding dominatrix. And a million other loathsome qualities.
But like thousands of others I had a conundrum and thought, "What the hey - I'll call her up and see what she thinks." I asked her how to help my husband make better food choices so he would live long and prosper. And she's a bit of a fat-ist, so I knew she'd have an opinion. Assuming that I had married a child with no abilities or will of his own she gave me the useless answer to, "just feed him healthy food." Of course she wouldn't afford me the opportunity to explain that her answer was unhelpful because my husband was actually a big boy who could go to the grocery store all by himself and had the free will to choose not to eat the healthy vegetables I served. She hangs up on people who veer away from the point she wants to make so the listeners don't get confused by relevant facts.
Just to torture myself, I called her another time when I was concerned that our little doggy wasn't getting as much attention from the kids as I thought she needed. I explained that we got the dog under the assumption that the kids would play with her all the time, but that oftentimes it felt like she wouldn't get the attention I expected the kids to give her (and being a mom of 4 at the time, I didn't feel like I could add doggy playtime to my to-do list). She told me I was a bad mother for getting a dog for little kids. I think she thought I expected them to take care of the vet appointments and training and walks. Again, she wasn't interested in understanding the situation, but did want to make a point that parents should not expect kids to be responsible for pets. (And in case you are a dog-lover who is worried about our pet, rest assured I take care of her needs, and under the threat of letting another family adopt her, the kids do better now too).
Again, thanks, Dr. Laura, for not listening and for giving me advice I cannot use.
Change that to 10% love, 90% hate. Still, if she called me up and invited me to brunch, I'd gratefully accept and be nothing but sweet and agreeable the whole time. What is wrong with me??
Saturday, October 23, 2010
To Sleep or Not To Sleep
Sometimes it takes a while for the girls to settle down after I send them to bed (I'm sure no one else has this problem...). So we introduced a new rule in which for every five minutes after I've declared "lights out" that I hear them still up they lose 10 points (points being their incentive program, they gain points for good behavior and chores, lose them for bad behavior, and can cash them in for money or computer time). So last night I snuck down the hallway to try and catch them talking. I stood outside their door for a couple seconds, was just about to burst in and yell "Busted!" when I heard Janelle softly say, "I love you, Brookie" and Brooke answer, "I love you too." Awwwwww :) I tiptoed away, glad to have witnessed that sweet moment.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Good Mom or Stubborn Control Freak?
On our way up to visit my sister and parents in Washington earlier this week, one of my delightful children (who shall remain nameless to spare her pride) took issue with her sister for putting her feet up by her head. I KNOW this scenario has played out in hundreds of minivans numerous times, but I wonder how many ended up like we did.
Because culprit A had leaned her seat back, culprit B couldn't get comfortable without putting her feet anywhere that didn't offend culprit A. So I suggested culprit A and B switch seats, especially since A insisted there were a number of ways for B to be comfortable without putting her feet up. Culprit A was not excited by my ingenious plan, and refused to be moved. So I gave her a warning and told her I would pull over and she would have to get out of the car until she was ready to cooperate. I tried to make it very clear that such a "time out" did not have to be long at all, just long enough for her to be ready and willing to cooperate, but it was too late. She was already beyond reasoning.
But so what? I can be more stubborn too and I don't want to give in to contentious kids, so when I came to a Fred Meyer parking lot, I pulled in, got her out of the car, and locked the doors with the rest of us inside. She proceeded to bang both fists on the windows screaming, "Let me in!" over and over. Passersby proceeded to watch with concern, and (not one to waste time) I proceeded to feed the baby while we waited. This was at 8:59 am.
One odd, well-meaning fellow on a bike looked particularly disturbed by her scene. He asked me what was wrong, and I told him, "She's throwing a fit, and I can't let her in until she calms down and apologizes." Then without charging me, he offered a psychiatric evaluation of her, suggesting that she might have something known as "broken child-syndrome". "Uh, thanks, I'll look into it." Another man walked by and gave me his best "You're a bad mother" look.
At 10:04 the inevitable happened. A police car pulled up behind us and asked what was going on. "I was wondering when you might show up," I muttered. I explained the situation yet again, and fortunately he could see I was not crazy, just that I had a stubborn daughter. These things don't happen all that often, and they usually blow over a lot quicker, but that morning was a biggie! The cop seemed surprised that it had all started with an argument about feet (I don't think he has kids), and that it had lasted over an hour. The shock of having a policeman talk to her seemed to snap culprit A out of her rotten mood, and she was all kindness and consideration the rest of the time.
Am I doing the right thing? I never know. I'd call Dr. Laura and ask her opinion, but I can't stand her, and besides she already told me I was a bad mother (that's a whole other story).
Because culprit A had leaned her seat back, culprit B couldn't get comfortable without putting her feet anywhere that didn't offend culprit A. So I suggested culprit A and B switch seats, especially since A insisted there were a number of ways for B to be comfortable without putting her feet up. Culprit A was not excited by my ingenious plan, and refused to be moved. So I gave her a warning and told her I would pull over and she would have to get out of the car until she was ready to cooperate. I tried to make it very clear that such a "time out" did not have to be long at all, just long enough for her to be ready and willing to cooperate, but it was too late. She was already beyond reasoning.
But so what? I can be more stubborn too and I don't want to give in to contentious kids, so when I came to a Fred Meyer parking lot, I pulled in, got her out of the car, and locked the doors with the rest of us inside. She proceeded to bang both fists on the windows screaming, "Let me in!" over and over. Passersby proceeded to watch with concern, and (not one to waste time) I proceeded to feed the baby while we waited. This was at 8:59 am.
One odd, well-meaning fellow on a bike looked particularly disturbed by her scene. He asked me what was wrong, and I told him, "She's throwing a fit, and I can't let her in until she calms down and apologizes." Then without charging me, he offered a psychiatric evaluation of her, suggesting that she might have something known as "broken child-syndrome". "Uh, thanks, I'll look into it." Another man walked by and gave me his best "You're a bad mother" look.
At 10:04 the inevitable happened. A police car pulled up behind us and asked what was going on. "I was wondering when you might show up," I muttered. I explained the situation yet again, and fortunately he could see I was not crazy, just that I had a stubborn daughter. These things don't happen all that often, and they usually blow over a lot quicker, but that morning was a biggie! The cop seemed surprised that it had all started with an argument about feet (I don't think he has kids), and that it had lasted over an hour. The shock of having a policeman talk to her seemed to snap culprit A out of her rotten mood, and she was all kindness and consideration the rest of the time.
Am I doing the right thing? I never know. I'd call Dr. Laura and ask her opinion, but I can't stand her, and besides she already told me I was a bad mother (that's a whole other story).
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
And the Answer is...
Eggnog.
What?!
The explanation as it was told to me:
"You know because 'eggnog' sounds like 'ignore' and this guy is ignoring the other guy."
Duh.
What?!
The explanation as it was told to me:
"You know because 'eggnog' sounds like 'ignore' and this guy is ignoring the other guy."
Duh.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Win Cookies!
If you can guess what I was supposed to be able to guess from this picture I will give you a dozen cookies of your choice (unless you live too far away, in which case you get a giant pile of nothing). The hint was: food
(Limit seventy times seven guesses, no immediate family members may participate or give clues, answer will be given in one week's time or less if I get impatient.)
(Limit seventy times seven guesses, no immediate family members may participate or give clues, answer will be given in one week's time or less if I get impatient.)
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Happy Stuff
Claire started preschool and she LOVES it!
As of Saturday I officially became a triathlete!!
Yesterday we had a "No more warts/Happy 1/2 b-day" party for Sophie (she's had this viral wart thing going on for over 2 yrs and they finally all ran their course and are gone for good! and it just happened to be her 1/2 birthday so I made 1/2 a cake to celebrate)
The girls were so excited about the impromptu party that they made this sweet powerpoint slideshow for me - and it wasn't even mother's day OR my birthday!
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