Attack Of The Dust Bunnies

Since becoming all consumed by Rock The House planning for Ryan's school, I admit I've let a few things slide. Ok, more than a few. I spent the first half of today finishing up my volunteer list and then closed the laptop with a loud thud and pushed it away, determined to tackle the tornado that went through my house over the past few days. It's not pretty. Normally my house is so clean you'd have a hard time finding dust, but today it even makes me sick. The dust bunnies are in full force plotting their attack. Everytime I get one room clean, they seem to be making a united stand in the next room. It has to have something to do with the furnace and heat ducts because it's never like this in the warmer months.

So, now that mine and the four kids' bellies are full of pizza and they are blissfully glued to their Nintendo DS's, I must go finish the battle against the dust bunnies. Damn things!

Labels

I've spent the last few days cleaning up my labels and assigning labels to the first year and a half of my blog. They are now listed in the sidebar. I do want to mention that before all of you tell me that Ashley is neglected and Ryan is the favored child - Ashley can read and won't let me tell her funny/embarrassing stories and Ryan will most likely never forgive me when he can read more than sight words. It's all good though, right?

Christmas Meme

Here's a new one. I hadn't seen a Christmas edition before. I get these emails all the time and have to admit that it is fun to see everyone else's answers. I've got nothing else for you right now, so why not? Thanks for sending this one on, Teri. Here are my answers:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper - who doesn't like tearing open a gift?!

2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial, however my prelight one and I are no longer on speaking terms.

3. When do you put up the tree? A couple of days before Thanksgiving - it's too hard to wait.

4. When do you take the tree down? The day after Christmas - I can't stand the clutter anymore by then and just want my house back.

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, especially if it has a little something extra in it.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Barbie & The Rockers Stage. My daughter now has it.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? No, but I'd love to have the Willow Tree set.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My brother in law.

9. Easiest person to buy for? Ryan - he circles every toy imaginable in every single sale guide or catalog that comes his way. You just can't go wrong.

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Gee, could it be that plastic fiber optic flower my husband bought me one year? Remember that one, Em? LoL

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail -in fact mine have already gone out.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Miracle On 34th Street - the original, not the remake.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? November

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My Grandma's toffee bars.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear - when they actually work (see no. 2).

17. Favorite Christmas song? Christmas Shoes by Newsong.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel - can't have Christmas without my family.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? For the life of me, no - and I've been trying for the last 5 minutes.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? I have an angel, but I think I'd prefer a star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning? Christmas Morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Rude and inconsiderate people while shopping.

23. What I love most about Christmas? Seeing my children light up with excitement when they open their gifts. Ok, and my own childish excitement at opening my own!

A Little Quick On The Noodle Trigger

This is why I serve frozen, canned and take out for meals. I tried to make Cat's chicken noodle soup since Ashley isn't feeling well today and when I poured in the amount of noodles that she told me to, I thought they looked awfully small and that it couldn't possibly be enough. So I poured in the other half of the box and then because that wasn't bad enough, I poured in half a box of elbow macaroni from my pantry and ended up with this. Way too much pasta in my chicken soup. Maybe next time I'll get it right. Now if only I had three more packages of chicken thighs to even out the pasta.

The 21 Day Challenge Begins...

...yesterday

...today

...tomorrow. Our purple Complaint Free bracelets finally (crap, hold on while I change wrists again!) showed up yesterday in the mail. It's much harder than I thought. When I opened the mail box and saw them sitting there I got this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach and thought, "Oh, I did order those, didn't I?" and then "Oh, I am so not ready for this!"

I put one on, as did Ashley and her friend that was over for the day, and began my 21 day journey to a world with no complaining. I got caught 4 times in the first hour of wearing it, twice last night during an impromptu party with the neighbors and then starting catching myself mid conversations at T-Ball today. I don't think the darn thing (hold on - changing wrists again) has stayed on one wrist for more than a couple of hours at a time. And we won't talk about the period of time when I was cranky and stressed out this morning and ended up just taking it off for awhile.

The good news is that tomorrow I'm going to buckle down and get through my first day without complaining. I'm going to be a better, more patient mommy and count to ten before I respond to the next potty accident, sibling fighting, food spilled on the floor and constant whining and repeating of questions after being told no from child number 2. (Fine, that rant counts too, but it's the last time I'm changing wrists for the next 21 days.)

Creepiness Factor

Just when I thought I had the world figured out, I'm now questioning what's really out there. Tonight after Ashley's volleyball tournament, we (Ash, my mom and myself) headed over to Applebee's for dinner and the creepiness factor was off the charts. While waiting for our food to be served, a man was seated by himself at the table across from us. We didn't think anything of it until he started talking to himself. At first we thought maybe he was talking into a blue tooth phone through the ear that was facing away from us, but once he turned his head we uneasily threw that explanation right out the window when we saw nothing there.

Soon, his "conversations" went from short "Yes.", "I know." and "That's right." phrases as if he were answering someone, straight to alarming things like, "God will save us.", "Only he knows what really happened to you.", "Satan will come." and then a lot of unintelligible words strung together.

Creepy, right? While this was going on, we exchanged uneasy glances with those dining around us. Everyone was hearing all of this. All of the waitresses and waiters were huddled around down at the end of the aisle whispering and stealing glances at this man. No one knew what to think. Was he just plain loosing it and talking to himself? Did he think someone was there with him? Was someone or something really there with him? What? I really want to know - I think.

When we were done eating, we figured it was best to just leave before it got even more creepier - if that were even possible. Ashley was with us and I didn't really want her to witness anything that might keep her up with nightmares tonight - or worse - get her started asking questions that I didn't have the answers to, so we quickly paid our bill and left. It's just that with all of the recent nightmare headlines in the news lately, how can you really be sure someone like that isn't dangerous or unstable? So we left. Probably nothing else happened after that, but still it was creepy all the same.

$3.19

Are you kidding me? It cost me $70 to fill up today!

This one has it right.

Complaint Free World

The 21 Day Challenge

As I'm sitting on the couch reading through People magazine (because I'm feeling too tired and lazy to put away the rest of the groceries I bought this morning) I came across this article about a church in Kansas City, MO and a movement they have started. It's called A Complaint Free World and you wear these purple bracelets (similar to the Live Strong ones). The challenge is to go 21 days without whining or complaining. Every time you whine or complain you have to switch the bracelet to the other wrist and start the 3 weeks over. I've ordered 20 of them since they are free and when they arrive, I'm going to hand them out to family and friends. I think it'll be fun to support each other and yet kind of funny catching each other breaking the rules and having to start over. What a great idea! It'll sure make us all realize just how often we complain and help us to become more aware of our thoughts and more enjoyable to be around. So check out the article and let me know if you want one.

Now if I could just find a bracelet that says "Patience With Your Kids" for the other wrist.

Returned

I had to go from butt kicking mommy to soccer car mommy earlier this evening. No more hummer. Bummer.

Enterprise's Screw Up

If anyone needs us, the girls and I will be out off-roading in our Hummer today.

Today was my scheduled appointment to take my van back to the dealership AGAIN so they could straighten out the problem with the internal computer thingy. They had reserved a loaner for me, but Enterprise screwed up and loaned it to someone else. All they had left were Hummers. Darn. My OCD kicked in before I got home though, and I had to run it through the cheap car wash before I could settle down. The thing was so dirty I couldn't see out the windows and there was no washer fluid left. I've already had to change my clothes once because of all the filth that got all over me when I was trying to get the car seats in. We won't even talk about the condition of the interior. (Starts shivering and shaking.) I think I've got some extra towels and rubber gloves around here somewhere.

Okay, fine. I admit it. I went at the steering wheel and gear shifter with a Lysol wipe. I had to do it. I've had enough fevers, body aches and stuffy noses this winter already.

Why We Love Sam's Club

Where else can you go shopping before dinner, fill up on tons of samples, and then cap it off with a dinner for 3 for $6.00?

The air hockey table that Santa will probably be bringing our kids for Christmas.

More Halloween candy than we could ever pass out in one night's time.

One cool a*# front lawn Santa Express Christmas display.

My kids are heartbroken that they don't still have this in the store for them to play with.

Who doesn't love this sweet Mr. Potato Head?!

Love it.

Creepy Hauntings

I received an email today from a neighbor and it's a picture of a guy with a supposedly real ghost standing next to him in the woods. I've always thought the subject of ghosts and haunted cemeteries was interesting. Out of boredom (okay, and maybe curiosity) I did a google search on ghost sightings and the first one that popped up was a picture of a ghost in a cemetery that I, as a teenager, visited with friends on numerous occasions. (Sorry, Mom - but like you didn't, either!) It's said to be one of the most haunted cemeteries in Illinois. Freaky, is it not?

This is a picture of the entrance to Bachelor's Grove Cemetery in Midlothian, IL (the town where I grew up). I can't tell you how many times I've driven past this on the Midlothian Turnpike. A few times, back in highschool, some friends and I even worked up the courage to go back in there and explore.

Further on down the gravel road (which is very creepy at night, might I admit), you come up to the old, gated cemetery.

If you click on one of the links to the websites above, you'll find pictures under
the Ghost Research link of orbs, mists, anomolies and even humanoids, like the one below. It's said that a research team was able to take the picture of the ghost below, sitting on the headstone above.

The only thing I can claim to have seen was strange lights in the cemetery, but one of the major legends of this place is the old white victorian farm house with an orange glow coming from inside that appears. When you start walking towards it, it disapears. But if you actually make it up to the house, you're never to be seen again. Not sure where that story came from, and I've never seen it myself, but everyone who knows about the cemetery has heard about it. Many claim to have seen it.

If I did, you can bet I'd have hightailed it out of there quickly. I read that it's recently been cleaned up. I'd love to see it again, you know, for old time's sake. Anyone brave enough? LOL.

Frustrated & Giving Up

While doing the crossword puzzle in my InTouch Weekly magazine, I was ashamed to find that I could answer all of the questions about Boy Bands (Wasn't every girl in Junior High into Boy Bands?) but was short four of the regular questions. Can anyone get these? I could cheat and check the answer page, but where is the fun in that, right?

1. U.S. soldiers ( G_ _ )

2. Make more lean (D _ _ AT)

3. The Bee Gees' "__ Talkin' " (J _V _ )

4. Letters on a military plane (U _ A _ )

Don't be shy. Leave your answers in the comments.

Not For The Faint Of Heart

We had a very creepy visitor this afternoon in our window well. Our neighbor came to the rescue and managed to get it out and into this bucket. (Bret stood by while the woman next door tackled the hissing biting thing.) Does anyone know what kind of snake this is? It isn't the first one! This and the mole are a regular occurance out here. I guess that's what happens when you live in the middle of corn fields.

Cheers!

Here's to the cute little old lady (seriously, I'd say she was in her 80's) in the motorized shopping cart at Walmart this morning who asked me to get the bottle of premixed margaritas off the top shelf for her this morning. Cheers! What was I doing in the liquer department, you ask? Getting my own Margarita mix for our upcoming vacation, of course!

Dear New Car Dealership,

Thank you for wasting 2 hours of my life today that I'll never be able to get back again. Yes, you were extremely friendly, but 2 hours for an oil change and tire rotation? Honestly, what were you doing back there all that time? Watching the "What A Girl Wants" movie that my daughter left in the DVD player?

The computer with internet hook up was a nice touch that kept my son occcupied on NickJr.com for a half an hour - but now I need to disinfect him because I could see the germs breeding on your filthy keyboard.

And the man sitting next to me in the waiting room? I kept waiting for him to signal that he was dying. His breaths were so loud and so deep I'm surprised he didn't keel over.

I'm not going to even go there about the foreign man on the cell phone who wasn't speaking English. Ryan kept asking me what he was saying over and over and over and over and yes- over and over again.

So now that I'm home, I have a headache and feel like I should have billed you for each hour that I spent in your germ infested waiting room and also for all of the magazines that Ryan put back on the magazine rack for you. (However, he was spinning that thing so fast that I'm not sure if you'll find it in working order - and I'm not sure if even I feel bad about that considering how much I paid you for the new van to begin with). Next time I think I'll be going to the Quickie Lube in town. I'm done with you unless it's warranty related and free of charge.

"I'm bored, Mom!"

My kids tell me that rainy days like yesterday are boring. I say if you tell me you're bored, I can always come up with something for you to do. Ha! Bet they'll never whine about being bored again!

Are You Normal?

According to this quiz, I'm not!!! (What???) Take this quiz below and tell me in the comments section if you're abnormal, too.

Your Normalcy Quotient is: 31 out of 100. (It's worse than I thought...lol)

Your quiz results make you a Marvelous MaverickGiddy-up partner. You're a maverick and don't know what the definition of normal is. That's a-okay because you're now part of a fascinating group of desperadoes. Wherever you ride, it's sure to be off the beaten path because it's way more fun to find the path least traveled. (Giddy Up!)

Take this free personality test by Clicking Here>> or going to www.chatterbean.com/runormal/