Ho-Hum Home

Sounds like life to me

2012-02-09T06:04:00.000-08:00

Distress signal received from USS VIKING. The ship was last seen going off the deep end in the turbulent waters near the Isle of Sleep Training and the string of islands known as Teething. The ship's captain, Viking Erica (aka "Mama") was last heard uttering a string of curse words and wailing on the ship's radio. The ship's lone crew member on this trip, Viking Joshua (aka "Smoosh") is reportedly with the captain, though it's unknown if his grumpiness has killed the captain or if the two are somewhere together crying and gnashing their teeth (so to speak). The ship's remaining crew, Co-Captain Viking Mike (aka "Daddy") and Viking Nathan (aka "Stomp") are said to be concerned though they feel a little vacation may be in order. If you spot the ship, DO NOT APPROACH. Crew members may be very bitey (both figuratively and literally) and are not fit for human companionship at this juncture. Simply report the ship's location (ie. "off the deep end"), order the ship a case of Red Bull and go on your way.**

**Note**This was so much funnier at 3:00 a.m. when I mentally composed it**

You don't wanna see Mama go to war

2012-02-06T08:20:00.000-08:00

Today's Monday Music Mania is brought to you by Joshua. The Smoosh has an extraordinary love for Reba Mcentire and, in particular, for all her sad songs. But he also loves this little number about a Mama on a rampage. By the way, what is it with her and shootin people? Must be that red hair!

Beer is heavy

2012-02-04T16:28:00.000-08:00

I suppose as a woman this should offend me. Instead I think it is HILARIOUS! Of course, I'm a little ~~demented~~ not right and I think all sorts of non-pc things are hilarious. In fact, when The Viking posted it on Facebook, he tagged me in the picture and I lol'ed (right out loud*) for about 10 minutes.

*Name that tv show

I'd be lookin for a woman like you

2012-01-30T09:28:00.000-08:00

So this is Lee Brice. I blogged about his first hit single "Love like crazy". Well now he's come out with this one, "Woman Like You". I like it because it reminds the Viking and I of our relationship. He says that if he'd never met a "woman like you" he'd probably be a bassist in his cover band, shooting pool in his bachelor pad and icing down the beer for poker every Friday night. Nothing says The Viking quite like those three things! So anyway, I can't get enough of this song and I hope it gets in your little head and makes you smile all day long, just like it does me.

Silly Saturday Sunday

2012-01-29T08:31:00.000-08:00

When the Viking and I were on our honeymoon, one of the channels was doing Whose Line Is It Anyway? marathons every night. We watched every one. We love this show and of course, it brings back fond and sentimental memories of our honeymoon. This is one of our absolute favorite bits! Enjoy!

P.S. All The Viking has to do is yell "BUMPS" and I start giggling uncontrollably

Barefoot blue jean night

2012-01-27T16:46:00.000-08:00

5 things I'm not supposed to be doing with a back injury that I'm doing anyway:

1. Lifting 44lbs of dog food into and out of the cart and car
2. Running (whether for fitness or after the children)
3. Sleeping on the sofa
4. Falling on the ice
5. Standing in one place folding laundry (or doing dishes, cooking etc)

I have done all of the above in the last week (some of them several times). I suppose that's why for my big Friday night, I'm laying on an ice pack ~~nomming~~ taking painkillers and muscle relaxers instead of living it up, partying, swinging from the chandelier and skydiving. Okay, we don't have a chandelier...and I'm scared of heights. But I could be living it up or partying! Anyway, it's not like I'm in physical therapy anymore (I'm too fat to be pain-free apparently), so no one's going to yell at me. So what the hell, I'm only hurting myself!

State of the Viking Union

2012-01-25T11:22:00.000-08:00

Welcome friends, relatives, all 12 readers:

It is my pleasure to inform you ~~tonight~~ today that the State of the Union is good. 2011 brought us many great joys and countless blessings. Although the first 6 months of the year were filled with vomiting, fatigue, approximately 1,387,602 trips to the bathroom and swollen ankles, Joshua Mark blessed us with his arrival in early July. The great state of Minnesota continues to wage war against us with their repeated requests for The Viking's assistance at their branch up in Minneapolis. Sleep deprivation, back injuries and staph infections are also enemies of this state who should be on notice that we consider them part of the Axis of ~~annoyance~~ Evil. Appropriate action will be taken if they continue to draw us into battle. In 2012 we look forward to relocating the center of our government to another small town and being closer to our ~~representatives~~ family. We know many new surprises will be in store for us in the coming year but feel prepared to handle them so long as we stand united.

Good night and God Bless The U.S.A. (and the U.V.H.*)

**United Viking Household**

"Missing Missy"

2012-01-21T09:25:00.000-08:00

Okay, first of all, if you're not already reading 27bslash6 you need to clear a day to read all the archives. Make peace with the fact that you will get nothing else done once you start reading David Thorne's snarky, sarcastic goodness. I mean, this guy is really a bastard. But he's funnier than hell. I hope I never work with him. But he's funnier than hell. Anyway, the secretary at his work lost her cat and foolishly asked him to put together a missing cat poster. The results are hysterical. You can view them here.

Love you, bye

2012-01-18T07:06:00.000-08:00

When The Viking and I hang up the phone with each other, we always say "I love you, bye". I also do it with family and friends I'm especially close to. Therefore, it boggles our little collective mind (we do share a brain, after all) when people on tv shows don't do it, especially married people. It's pretty much universal. In fact, I can't bring a tv show to mind where spouses do regularly say "I love you" before they hang up the phone. For the most part, they simply hang up.

Right now, the most glaring example of this is 24. The Viking and I are going back through the seasons watching them in order. It's amazing to me how much danger Jack Bauer is in every single day and he still doesn't tell his wife "I love you, bye!" when they hang up the phone! I mean this is Jack Bauer, international terrorist killer, hunter of bad guys, all-around bad-a**. He literally never knows if he's going to see his wife again (though none of us truly do). It's become something of a running joke between me and The Viking. If we happen to notice someone not doing it, we'll yell "LOVE YOU BYE!" at the tv. Sometimes we do it when Jack Bauer's on the phone with Tony, instead of his wife. This makes it even funnier. In our twisted little brain. Clearly we need help.

Do y'all say "I love you" when you hang up the phone? Are we weird? Of course we're weird, but are we weird for this particular "quirk"? Don't y'all just love 24? Who's your favorite 24 character? Should I have blogged on 5 hours of sleep and pain medication? Is that enough questions?

I want you to love me, to kiss and to hug me, debrief and debug me

2012-01-16T10:59:00.000-08:00

I sort of forgot about Silly Saturday. The New Year is not off to the best start on that front. I meant to, I really did. But I got busy ~~napping~~ solving all the world's problems. No, really, I was tired after a long week of a teething, growing baby being up all night and I did a lot of sleeping Saturday and not a lot of anything else. But, I have this particular song that is so dadgum funny that I thought it fit the category of both Silly Saturday and Monday Music Mania. So it's SatMon Silly Music Mania.

The first time I heard this little ditty, I was driving in downtown Albuquerque. I had to pull over because I was laughing so hard I had tears running down my face and I couldn't see. I loved it so much, The Viking bought me the cd. To our surprise, the rest of her cd is pretty much awesomesauce. But this will always be one of my all time favorite songs, just for the silly factor. Enjoy!

***Bonus for you non-hicks: It's not a country song!***

Bree Sharp: David Duchovny

Don't put your hand under my shirt and tell me it's okay

2012-01-09T14:56:00.000-08:00

Introducing the very first Monday Music Mania!

So here's the deal with this song. It's a little ditty by an up-and-comin' country artist named Jake Owen. Jake's done a lot of other songs, including some that have become wildly popular (particularly "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" which, I have it on good authority, is crazy popular with blue-eyed redheads from Nebraska). But there is something about this song. It's a touch sad but not so sad you spend 3 hours crying. What? You guys don't do that? Okay, moving on. Anyway, I love this song. When it comes on the radio, I turn it up as loud as I can, twirl the baby in a circle and there may or may not be singing into a wooden spoon. No comment. Enjoy!

I polished my silver balls

2012-01-07T08:15:00.001-08:00

Now serving knuckle sandwiches!

2012-01-06T10:40:00.000-08:00

Well then, hey there! How are ya? I hope y'all had a Merry Christmas and a safe and joyous start to 2012! The Viking family had a glorious, relaxing, amazing time down at my in-laws. Our New Year's Eve was pretty mellow with some tv watching and not much else. We ate black-eyed peas on New Year's Day and watched the Huskers get their hineys handed to them on Monday. Then on Tuesday my Dad and I loaded up the car and him and I and my 2 boys drove over to Iowa to spend a little time with my Grandpa. He hadn't seen Stomp since he was 6 months old and, obviously, had never met Joshua. I love getting together with my Granddaddy. He has an easy laugh and a laid-back personality...which is necessary because his wife (my dad's stepmom) is...well, I can't think of a nice way to put it so I'll just say that she's a piece of work.

For instance, while I was out there, she actually criticized me for how well-behaved Nathan is. She kept saying "you sure are a good boy" and then she'd shoot me a dirty look and say, "you know, we like the kids to run wild while they're here and have fun". Uhhh okay. Well, a) he's having fun, that's what that laughter's about and 2) my child doesn't run wild in anyone's house. On several occasions I told him "no" and she told him "you can do what you want at Grandma's house". Thankfully, Stomp's no dummy and he would just say, "thanks anyway ma'am, but my mama said 'no'". It was an extremely stressful trip. I would love to do it again, to see Grandpa, but I don't know if I can handle the stress for more than a day or two. Thankfully we saw them Tues and Wed but came home yesterday. Anymore time than that and I certainly would've gone to jail for taking off my shoe and beating her with it.

So anyway, felonies aside, just a bit of housekeeping here on Ho-Hum Drive: I'm going to be doing a Musical Monday where I introduce you to a song I can't get enough of (it'll most likely be country but I may have some surprises for you) and a Silly Saturday where I feature*** either a joke or a funny picture or really anything that tickles my funny bone. Any other requests for things you'd like to hear more of, see less of, etc? Leave it in the comments!

***I like to use the word "feature" because it makes me sound all professional-like.

...AND, we're back!

2012-01-05T19:09:00.001-08:00

My apologies for the un-announced hiatus. Between the holidays and an impromptu trip to Iowa to spend some time with my granddaddy, we were a touch busy and ~~insane~~ unavailable. Anyhow, we are back now and I have much in store for Ho Hum Drive this year! SO STAY TUNED!

Wordless Wednesday: Cousins

2011-12-28T07:37:00.001-08:00

Just shoot me

2011-12-21T10:36:00.000-08:00

Not-so-Wordless-Wednesday. So, a while back we had family pictures taken for Christmas cards and the like. We had a wonderful experience at Portrait Innovations...Mostly, anyway. Because it was the holidays they didn't see us until about 45 minutes after our appointment time and by then the baby was starting to be DONE. But on the whole the experience was wonderful and I'd like to go back in the summer and get some more done when the baby's a little happier. Anyway, here are some of the pictures we had done with them.

The boys. They got some great ones of the boys both looking at the camera, but I loved this one for some reason.

Stomp. Yes, those are cowboy boots. Yes, my kid is a hick. His Mama is a cowgirl, what do you expect?

The Smoosh. This was prior to his meltdown and the last good solo picture we got of him.

The family...Despite Smoosh being done, I loved this picture, except for the awful glare on our glasses which they apparently don't fix.

Mama and Smoosh. He didn't want to do anything but snuggle on Mama and suck his thumb at this point.

Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies.

2011-12-20T19:37:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I talked with an old friend. I suppose "old friend" isn't really the right word. At one time we were very close. Then there was an incident and our friendship ended abruptly and harshly. We quit speaking, altogether, and they moved away. Months and then years went by as we healed separately and started to exchange apologies and then, very tentatively, kind words, prayer requests and pleasantries. Finally a few weeks ago, we met for lunch at her lovely farm house in her charming small town. We had a wonderful time and there was a spark of our old friendship in that meeting. I doubt we'll ever be as close as we were (there are extenuating circumstances involving husbands and children that would prevent the kind of all-encompassing friendship we once had), but I imagine I will see her again soon for another lunch.

See, the thing about friendship is that it's not a straight line. It's not like your friendship starts at Point A and ends at Point B. It's more like the peaks and valleys you'd see on a heartbeat graph. There are times in your life when you're completely involved with a friend, where you talk to them daily, see them constantly and enjoy each other's presence fully in your life. And then there are the valleys where nothing is wrong, really, you just drift for a moment in time (maybe weeks or months or even years) from each other. But true friendships never flat-line.

I am thankful for the true friends in my life, wherever they may be tonight. I hope they realize that I carry them in my heart whether we are in a peak or a valley in our friendship.

No Scrooges here

2011-12-18T18:10:00.000-08:00

Nathan has had Christmas money coming in left and right. We usually split it and let him get a couple of things (that we know no one else is getting him) before Christmas and spend the rest after. So I took him last weekend to spend some of his Christmas money. When we pulled up, our town's cop car was out there. Nathan asked what they were doing. I explained that they were doing "Stuff the Cruiser" which is our town's Toys For Tots program. I explained, again, that some children don't get to have much of a Christmas. Not only do some kids not get toys, some don't have clothes or a great meal to eat. We'd had this discussion before and it always weighs very heavily on Nathan and really upsets and distresses him. I reminded him that last year we got a gift card off the giving tree and did he remember what he'd picked out, etc. As we are walking into Wal-Mart he says to me, "Mama, I still want to get myself something, but is it okay if I spend some of my Christmas money to get a toy for the little boys and girls?" Well I tell you what, I'm not sure I've ever been prouder as a Mama (or that I've ever wept harder in public). This is my "career" so to speak and I don't get a performance review. This glimpse into Nathan's generous heart and his sweet character is the closest I will come to an evaluation of my skills as a parent. And, if I do say so myself, I am doing a darned good job.

Thank you, Stomp, for being so sweet and caring and for being so giving of yourself. You are every Mama's dream and I will always be thankful for getting to raise you.

There's a new kid in town

2011-12-18T12:19:00.000-08:00

I ain't gonna lie to y'all. If I'm not careful Christmas stuff can easily consume me. It doesn't take much for me to get wrapped up in getting the perfect gift for so and so's 3rd cousin thrice removed or making sure everything is wrapped just so or making sure that the neighbors 19 houses down have their tray of goodies. Obviously I know that none of that is what Christmas is about. But anyway, it's easy to get consumed.

So this year I was a bit frantic for a week or so there while I tried to sort out Christmas cards and pictures. You see, on the whole, adults in my family have decided to basically quit exchanging gifts. There are lots of kids and it just seems like our time and money is better spent on them! But we did have a new baby this year which meant I felt like everyone should get a new family picture. That was there the stress lie with me. We had like 6 different poses and about 37 different sizes and about 15 people to pick pictures for. I tried and tried and tried to get a system going but I just couldn't come up with one. And of course we sent out 60 Christmas cards. Yes, you read that right, 60. And because I believe Christmas actually is about keeping in touch and family and friends and spirit and cheer, I write a hand-written message in each card. It made for a long 10 days while I tried to get all that sorted out whilst*** dealing with the other shenanigans of life. But, I got that all taken care of and all the presents are bought, wrapped and shipped (we only shipped one actual package of gifts this year, the rest were cards + pictures). I just have a few very small things to pick up and wrap over the next few days. But I get to spend the next week baking goodies for fun. Yes, I really actually bake for fun. So that'll be nice. And I'm going to watch old Christmas specials and be lazy and do nothing. And then I'll drive to my mother in law's house where, yes, I'll do even less. When we go down there for Christmas, she does all the cooking and cleaning and I take a lot of naps since I have someone else to take care of my family. It's glorious.

So I hope you're all having a very Merry and very mild Christmas! Watch some Charlie Brown and some Miracle On 34th Street. Be lazy. Bake up a batch of fudge and eat half of it yourself. You'll thank me for it, I promise. And if I don't see you, be blessed this holiday season and more important, be a blessing.

***I love the word "whilst", I use it every chance I get.

Walkin in our winter underwear*

2011-12-09T06:53:00.001-08:00

Winter's finally arrived here in Huskerland and there is an abundance of snow. So this Friday Five is brought to you by Jack Frost and Santa Clause!

Five things I love about winter

1. "Silent night, holy night" is how the song goes. But there really is nothing quite like the serene quiet of a dark winter's night. It feels so magical and peaceful.
2. Homemade hot cocoa. If you're still buying Swiss Miss, let me start by saying "I'm sorry for your loss" to you. The homemade stuff is out of this world. Top with a candy cane or some mini marshmallows and I have been known to literally let out a little moan of happiness.
3. Red-faced, rosy-cheeked little boys. It's no secret by now that I have a few ~~obscenely hyper~~ active boys in my household. They love nothing more than to get all geared up (which does take approximately 37 minutes) and go out in the snow to play war, to throw snowballs, to construct elaborate snow forts. When they come back inside and strip off their gear, they're treated to homemade hot cocoa (see above) or hot soup and sometimes a hot bath. I treasure these moments where Mama gets to be kind of a superhero able to provide warmth to her cold, frozen little boys. Which reminds me, I love that commercial where the snowman eats the Campbell's soup and melts into a little boy. So cute.
4. Our little town really knows how to do Christmas decorating right. The square is all lit up with Christmas lights and evergreen boughs. On the nights when we venture out for a family movie or to visit Santa's house, it shines so pretty and makes me feel so blessed to live here.
5. Hot soup. When it comes to soup, I haven't met too many I didn't like. I like Campbell's vegetable beef and Progresso chicken noodle and of course homemade chicken and dumplings, lentil soup and beef stew. Sure, you can eat these meals throughout the year (and we do), but there's nothing quite like a hot bowl of soup after a long, cold, shivery day.

What tops your list?

*P.S.* -- This is how my stepdad has always sung "Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland". I like his version infinitely better.

Just a touch of the fire burnin so bright

2011-11-30T12:16:00.001-08:00

A list...because I'm not sure I can string all these thoughts together into one coherent post any other way.

1. Thanksgiving was a roaring success. The Great Pie Experiment Of 2011 is going well and the winning crust recipe seems to be 3/4 C butter and 1/4 C Crisco. My apple pie was so yummy it was out of this world.
2. I know I shouldn't but I love the show Intervention and now I see Netflix has all the seasons. That's how I've spent the last 3 days.
3. The doctor finally told me "I know you're not resting and that I can keep telling you it's the best thing for your back and you're just not going to do it. So my current plan is to throw as many drugs at you as I can until you're too tired to do anything BUT rest". In addition to that, Mike finally realized that the only way to get me to not do housework was for him to do it all himself. He realized that by leaving it sitting out I wasn't going to be able to control myself and I was going to have to clean it. So he's been doing all the housework. This all adds up to me having done very little in the last few days. And wouldn't you know it, my back finally is starting to feel better!
4. Also helping with the resting is the broke-down washing machine. Buuuuuuut (drum roll please), as a Christmas gift, my Jersey Mama and Mountain Mark have bought me a new washer and dryer to be delivered next week. I've never in my life owned a brand new set and I'm so excited it's ridiculous.
5. The Smoosh is growing up so fast it's absurd. He's eating cereal 3 times a day now and can hold his own bottle and can mostly sit up on his own. I keep yelling "you're only 5 months old, knock it off! Quit growing up!" He's not listening.
6. Finally finished the paperwork to get moving on getting out of this house. With any luck we'll have the house sold and will have found a place to rent in our new town by the summer. Please oh please. We are ever so anxious to get out of this town.
7. I am going down to the basement today to get my Christmas decorations and Christmas cards out. I hope to have cards finished by the weekend. We'll see!
8. The baby just accidentally head-butted me so hard I saw stars. This seems like a good time to end this little note.

Little town with a great big life

2011-11-25T16:18:00.001-08:00

In preparation for Thanksgiving, a lot of people have been naming one thing a day they're thankful for. I saved all mine up to do on Thanksgiving. I, of course, got busy with a house full of company and didn't get it put up yesterday. But here it is, 30 things I'm thankful for in November. Some deserve further details and explanations and some are pretty self-explanatory!

1. Mike - Without the Viking, none of this would be possible. No kids, no sweet little housewife life in Huskerland, no wonderful love story to last me the next 50 years.
2. Stomp - Truly a most amazing, silly, sweet, kind, affectionate, smart and loving child. He makes me laugh every.single.day. He's free with the words "I love you" and I really adore that he doesn't try to hide his feelings.
3. Smooshers - Ahhh, the baby we weren't supposed to have. It was two days after Thanksgiving last year that I was in the ER being told I was pregnant. One year prior to that we'd given up hope of having any more kids after being told we wouldn't be "able" to. That's why they call it "practicing" medicine, I suppose. Joshua is an incredibly happy baby who isn't shy about all the smiles, giggles and general adorability.
4. The rest of my family - Between holes in the wall, broken washing machines, pregnancy and labor crises, my family has been right here, even when they can't physically be right here.
5. My friends - I'm going to single a few of you out who have been especially super-duper-awesome this year, but on the whole I am surrounded by the most incredibly sweet, giving, fun group of people. I am lucky and blessed to know all of you.
6. Taryn - Ohhhhh Peas. It's hard to imagine this last year without her in it. She's picked me up and dusted me off more than a few times and made me laugh so many times I can't keep count anymore.
7. Chrissi - A rock and a constant source of knowledge, support and inspiration.
8. Joe & Jessie & Reece - I'm lucky to be able to watch Reece and to have him in my life. I love my 1/2 son! And I'm so thankful that we've gotten to know each other. You will not meet a more generous, giving, fun-loving couple than these two. Promise.
9. Nany - When I'm going about my day, dancing Grunters around and cleaning house, I think of how different my life would be if Nany hadn't shown me how easy it is to be a housewife.
10. Shelby and EmmyLou - Good girls (despite the chewing and the barking). Snuggly and smart and protective. My sweet pups.
11. Country music - Music that shaped my childhood and sweetens my adult life.
12. Kitchen Aid mixer
13. "Friends" (the tv show, not the people) - Viking Mike and I watch this every night before bed for a quick giggle and snuggle.
14. Nebraska - I love this state and I mean to never ever live anywhere else.
15. Chocolate
16. Babies - We had two babies born into our family this year!
17. Blogging - Gives me a great outlet and a chance to spread my writing wings. I dreamed of being a writer growing up and this lil blog gives me a chance to do so. Maybe someday I'll make money at it.
18. Cornhuskers - GO BIG RED!
19. The E*Trade baby - I love these commercials so much and they really tie into #20.
20. Laughter - They say it's the best medicine. All I know is that it binds me closer to those I love, smoothes the edges off a rough day and soothes a weary soul.
21. Salvation from my sin through my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
22. Calvary Baptist Church - A little small town church with a big heart.
23. Not living in New Mexico anymore.
24. Fuzzy socks
25. Hot tea
26. Long-sleeved nightgowns
27. 4 real seasons
28. Rose-scented bubble bath
29. The internet google tubez - Helps me keep in touch with family all over the country, provides endless entertainment and plenty of opportunities ~~to play Angry Birds~~ to learn!
30. The library - My library tracks how much money you would've spent if you'd bought all the books you checked out over the course of a year. I would've spent around $1800.00.

***EDIT*** Now that Thanksgiving has passed, I'm also thankful for The Great Pie Experiment that landed me an awesome new pie crust recipe. I'm thankful for homemade cranberry sauce and the new recipe I tried on that as well. I'm thankful for babygirl snuggles with my niece, cousins who can't get enough of playing together, and the girls of this family (we're vastly outnumbered, but we're feisty, spunky and awesome, right Mom and Maria and Alice?

Do you know what that means, my dear?

2011-11-23T11:46:00.001-08:00

Every year, the day before Thanksgiving, my Grandma recited this poem to me and my aunts and uncles and my mom. She's passed away a long time now, but my aunts and uncles have carried on the tradition. My mom or my Auntie Carol out on the East Coast are usually the first ones to "get" me. They race around and try to call each other to be the first to "get" each other. I, of course, have carried on the tradition with Stomp and Grunt who don't quite appreciate it yet. But it just isn't the day before Thanksgiving without this poem. I don't know where the tradition came from but I know it will always live on with me and, I hope, with my boys.

"Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, do you know what that means my dear? Of course I couldn't expect you to, you've only been with us a year. You came from my Auntie in Paris, far over the deep blue sea and tomorrow you'll spend your first Thanksgiving, my beautiful darling, with me."

Sailin' away to Key Largo

2011-11-19T19:04:00.001-08:00

I've blogged about my Nany before. She was pivotal in shaping who I am. All the time I spent with her, I always remember she loved to sing and dance around the house while we cooked or did chores or just hung out. That's one legacy I'm sure I'll pass onto my children, as well. One of her all time favorites was "Key Largo" by Bertie Higgins. One time, when I was maybe 2 years old (or probably closer to 3 because I remember it very vividly) my Nany had a blow-up raft in her living room, for some reason. No one can quite recall the reason why the raft was there, except that Nany and my parents drank a lot. But, we all climbed up into that boat and sang that song over and over. Now, I sing it to Smooshers. I hold him close, cheek-to-cheek, and as soon as it starts to play, he smiles. By the time I belt out "here's lookin at you, kid", he's laughing uproariously. So, here's the video (of Bertie singing it, not me), I hope it brings you as much joy as it brings me and The Smoosh.

Learning is not a spectator sport

2011-11-15T11:11:00.001-08:00

I'm not a teacher. I'm not even real smart. But, I've always believed in teaching my boys as much as I can at home. Stomp and I worked hard at animal sounds, body parts, colors and ABC's at home long before he started school. Plus I was one of those kids who loved school. So, it's really no surprise that I generally love helping with homework (well, most homework). But this year, the teachers announced that they wouldn't be sending homework home but would still be expecting the kids to do between 20-30 minutes of homework a night. And they sent home a note about how detrimental it would be for your kids to not do their 20-30 minutes of homework a night. To which I said (please listen carefully so you don't misquote me): "What the?!" Hey, I am not a ~~super~~ lazy mom. I will be happy to help fill out worksheets, practice spelling words and read until I simply cannot read "Oh Say Can You Say" one more time. But you have to help me out by sending home the worksheets and the spelling words. For one, I have no idea how they're teaching math these days and I didn't even really get it the first time around ~~100 years ago~~. For another, I have a very young baby at home and most of the time am too tired to remember to brush my hair, much less scour the intrawebz for suitable math problems for Stomp. But still we tried. He helped write grocery lists, and we added and subtracted how many items we had at the grocery store, etc. But, nothing that could really be counted as "true" homework.

Eventually, they did start sending home spelling words (that, I'm good at!) and they sent home a practice clock, which proved a good way to ~~make me suicidal for 20 minutes every night~~ practice time-telling, which Stomp struggles with. But then, then they sent home a notice that we could log into the school's server and take practice tests for the very tests Nathan's working on at school! So now, nightly, we do 10 minutes of "math facts" on the computer, rehearse our spelling words and work with the clock, in addition to our nightly reading. When we had parent/teacher conferences a month or so ago, they told me Nathan seemed to be "stuck" on level 2 of his math facts. In the two weeks since we've been practicing from home, he's gone up 3 levels. Nathan is learning that practice and hard work and stick-with-it-ness pays off and Mama is off the hook for trying to teach math.

Fisticuffs

2011-11-10T06:32:00.001-08:00

This Public Service Announcement is brought to you by the following sponsors: exhaustion, post-partum rage and a very generous donor who asked to be identified only as "mind your own damned business"!

To the Nosy Nellies out there: I'm going to help you out here and give you a heads up. Please do not say any of the following things to me. Unless you already have. Then please be aware how lucky you are I spared your life and keep in mind I probably won't do it twice.

1. Please do not remind me how "lucky" I am to have the "luxury" of staying home with my babies. Because you're right I am lucky, I'm lucky that I have my priorities in order. I give up a lot of OTHER luxuries to be able to make one income ~~barely stretch~~ work. You too could have this "luxury" you keep telling me you wish you had if other "luxuries" weren't so important. So shut your yap.

2. It is beyond rude to ask me why my kids are "so far apart in age". Would you really like a lecture on reproductive difficulties? Would you like to hear about the baby I lost and the grief I endured? Yes, I know I'm crying now, it's a very touchy subject. Hey were are you going, nice lady at Wal-Mart I've talked to a handful of times while I was trying to buy lightbulbs? YOU asked!**

3. No, actually, I don't think two kids are "enough". My husband and I plan to have our own litter, not that it's any of your dadgum business. But I do hope you took your own advice and stopped at 1 or 2 since you apparently have no manners to pass on to your offspring. Oh I'm sorry, was that rude?

I understand that sometimes people simply have no filter between brain and mouth, but try a little harder folks. Because, let me tell you what, I'm an Irish redneck who hasn't had a full night's sleep in approximately 872 weeks. I'm so close to squaring up and serving you a tasty knuckle sandwich, you have no idea.

**Please understand that if you are struggling with a miscarriage or infertility, I would be honored to talk to you about what we struggled with and offer you real advice and genuine comfort. This section does not apply to you, it applies only to people who can't help but open their mouth about s**t they don't understand because they've never been there.

P.S. The RFML ladies have done this topic before (and done it better, I might add).

You better kiss me 'cuz you're gonna miss me when I'm gone

2011-11-09T15:31:00.000-08:00

I seem to be having one of those weeks. Maybe one of those months. Scratch all that, I'm having one of those lifetimes. Y'all know how it goes, right? You're The Mama. So, most of your focus is on caring for other human beings. You know, diapers, homework, baths, stories, breakfast-lunch-and-dinner, laundry, oh-hey-mom-can-you-do-x,y,z? It's easy, when your whole existence is tied up in tending to other people's needs, to get sucked into that horrible black hole of doing nice things for everyone. I've always been the kind of girl who'll try to look out for other people. If I see someone sad, I'll come up with ways to cheer them up. If they're overwhelmed, I'll figure out a way to help out. It's a good quality to have, I think, and I'm proud of my desire to help other people out...most of the time.

But, sometimes, I get overwhelmed and I get sad and dadgumit, right now I'm always a bit of both just because I'm not getting enough sleep and I can't get over this dadgum back injury and well, I'm still doing nice things for other people. I have no idea why, except that there's some sort of flaw in my character that insists I keep doing these things even when I don't feel like it and I desperately need ~~whiskey and a vacation~~ a little quality me time.

Don't get me wrong, I have wonderful friends who offer to help when they can and who send text messages (or notes or little gifts) to cheer me up. And I have the most amazing husband ever. In fact, I've long said that I can be at the bottom of my own priority list (something every psychologist cautions moms against it) because I know I'm at the top of his.

But, I'm tired. And I'm getting very bitey. And I'm not taking enough time for myself, at a time I probably really should. But, I am doing lots of nice things for other people which always makes me feel happy. I'm just not left with much time to do nice things for myself.

How do you other Mamas do it? How do you balance doing nice things for other people and taking time for yourself? Are you good at saying no? (I'm sure by now you've guessed, I never say no...ever.) What's your favorite thing to do to take care of yourself? What's your favorite thing to do to cheer other people up?

All you need in the world is love and laughter

2011-11-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

Mama and the boys get the giggles

I got a rock

2011-11-01T18:03:00.000-07:00

So...Last night was Halloween. "Duh, Erica", I hear y'all saying. But, we're a little behind here on HHD. Nonetheless, much Halloween-debauchery was had. Nathan, being the son of two enormous gaming geeks, decided he wanted to be Mario. Yes, that Mario. He wanted Mama to be Princess Peach, Daddy to be Bowser and the dogs to be Yoshi. He also desperately wanted Joshua to be Luigi, but I convinced him Toad would be a little easier on Mom. Of course, then Mama couldn't even find the parts to a Toad costume for the baby. So, Grunters wore a monster outfit Auntie Taryn sent him. And, I'm really proud to say, I put together Nathan's costume for $3.00. Yes, you heard me right. $3.00. He had overalls from a couple of years ago that were good enough (yes, they were 3" too short, but they worked okay) and he had a red shirt. A friend sent us some stick-on mustaches. I could not, for the life of Mario, find a red hat. So, I took one of Daddy's old hats and took some red felt and glued it in strips onto the old hat. I added some white and red "M's" and called it good. Then, and this is the really spectacular part, I constructed power-up flowers. You've all played Super Mario Bros right? So you know the red flower that lets you shoot fire balls and the blue flowers that let you shoot ice balls? I took some pipe cleaners and made those special flowers and pinned them to the overalls. Nathan was super proud of his home-made costume and I was pretty proud of myself too. Then we went up to the fancy-pants neighborhood with Reece and Jessie and her nephew and went trick-or-treating. Much fun was had and Nathan made me super proud with how fearless he was, even in the face of moving ghosts and screaming skeletons handing out candy. And he exhibited good manners...a must on HHD.

Mario - pre-mustache

Monster Joshua wearing his outfit from Auntie Taryn

The two brothers pre-trick-or-treating

Mario, Grunt Monster and Reece...Reece was not yet in full zombie gear and unfortunately I didn't get a picture of him in it, but he was very super-duper scary. And also very polite. Good boys, those two, I swear.

Nathan's candy (Monked)** - When we got home from trick-or-treating, Nathan organized his candy by type and then put it into neat little rows.

**Bonus points if you get the reference!

Think that I'm throwing but I'm thrown

2011-10-27T21:56:00.000-07:00

So, as per usual, things are a little psychotic here on Ho-Hum Drive. It's 11:40 on a school night and I can't sleep. So I thought I'd catch y'all up...in list format because it's 11:40 p.m.

1. The Viking's job sent him out of town for a week. I lost my mind. We have a 7 year old, a 9 year old I babysit every day and a 4 month old who isn't sleeping through the night. I may not have been entirely kind in my response. I may have also used every four letter word I could think of. Some of y'all woulda been really proud. Some of you woulda decided never to come back around these parts again. Anyway, my stepdad wound up flying out for the first 3 1/2 days The Viking was gone to give me an extra set of hands. He went home early this morning and we miss him terribly but I did manage to survive my entire day with absolutely no break. Hell, for part of that time I even had 2 extra kids who weren't mine. Still, sanity seems to be largely in tact. Except for this whole pesky insomnia thing. I can't seem to get my brain to stop running.

2. While the Mountain Mark was out here, he insulated and drywalled what was really a gaping hole in our wall from when The Viking put the door in like 3 years ago. It looks a million times better and oh hey at least one of our walls has insulation in it! We also did some really fun stuff like watching The Middle together (...together...) and watching Tom Horn and going out for donuts.

3. I severely tweaked my back. The doctor and the PT got together and concluded I slipped a couple of discs. How I did this exactly, no one's sure but they believe it has to do with all the weakening of, well, everything, when you're pregnant to make room for the baby. They're pretty sure with proper positioning and posture and some time for the hormones (the same ones making me bats**t insane, most likely) to move out of my body, it'll heal up on its own. Until then I'm being treated with a back brace (which makes chasing after 3 boys sooooooooooooo easy) and some Flexeril. I keep suggesting a steroid/narcotics combination. Not just because that's what I've heard works best in the short term (while the PT has time to work), but because I think I would be a serious hoot on that combination of drugs.

4. The Viking returns home tomorrow and I believe some time is going to need to be made for some kind of romantic event, even if it's only dinner together. I missed him terribly while he was gone and I know he had a really hard time being away from Stomp and Grunt (and probably me too).

5. Jessie and I wound up having a great time at Chris Young. We didn't kidnap him but we were close enough to almost grab his cute little behind. There is no part of that man that is unattractive, except that he's not mine. Shooey, did it just get hot in here?

The Housewife's Prayer

2011-10-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

Lord please let me get through this day:

A day of making beds and washing dishes.
Please let me make it through the trials
and trying to fullfill everyone's wishes.
Get me through the windows and laundry
the dusting and the floors,
the "mom guess what"s and
the homework and math scores.
Let me fix a good meal
something everyone will eat.
And please, Lord, let me give my hubby
some lovin that can't be beat.
Let me do it all with serenity,
patience, love and grace
and if you could swing it,
a smile upon my face.

Amen.

Bee Bee Queue

2011-10-17T06:44:00.000-07:00

It was my birthday this weekend. I turned 29 ~~again~~. We had a very mellow day where I took a huge nap and then had an impromptu BBQ. I had planned not to do much of anything but wound up having the neighbors over for a while for a ~~dozen~~ few beers and a campfire. It was very mellow and very laid back and totally convinced me that the way to have a mellow and laid back 29th birthday was to not plan much of anything. So, just a couple of quick pictures.

The Viking being...well, himself.

Grunters, partying down.

Awwwwwwww....aren't we adorable?

Me and Jessie (Reece's mama), the only other Mama I know who wears Chucks...OoOOooo sparkly!

Firey goodness to keep your toesers toasty

It was a great time and I'm glad we decided to do something, afterall. Thursday night, Jessie and I are goin to go see Chris Young to hick it up and ~~kidnap him~~ let loose!

Friday Five - spit up

2011-10-14T07:35:00.000-07:00

In honor of a growth spurt that has Grunt eating all the live long day and then, naturally, spitting up...Five Things Grunt Has Not Spit Up On (yet)
1. The dog
2. The laptop
3. That one sock...yes, that ONE over there.
4. Nathan's bed
5. .....
Huh, look at that. I couldn't even come up with 5 things he hasn't spit up on.

Seriously, she's kidding

2011-10-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

This week's Thankful Challenge is all about The Funneh. I like to laugh...like a lot. All the time. Especially when I'm stressed. So this week, I want to thank Ellen Degeneres. I realize the point of the Thankful Challenge is to thank people in your life who've made a difference, and I plan to do plenty of that. But lately I've been..well a little off-kilter. Call it ~~insanity~~ ~~or being very bitey~~ hormones, but I've just been a little moody lately. So every afternoon when I'm going about my busy work, I pop Ellen on and I get the giggles. I love her silly side and her witty side and even her prankster side. Just as importantly, she takes the time to really honor people who are putting good out there into the world. And I know this sounds a little ~~bleeding heart liberal~~ hippie of me, but I think the world needs more good in it. So Ms. Ellen, thank you for the giggles and for rewarding and honoring those who are puttin good mojo out there!

Is it weird in here or is it just me?

2011-10-05T11:39:00.000-07:00

Me: "The baby's smooshing his nose into the bed.
The Viking: "It probably smells like you. When you're not around, I do that too."

I like you a lot, you're funny and kind.

2011-09-29T13:59:00.000-07:00

My PenguinPants is running a Thankfullness challenge where we thank someone each week for being Awesome. I ~~naturally~~ forgot week one so I'm going to do two people this week. That's cool right?

First of all, I want to thank my Penguin, Chrissi. Her and I got to know each other on Livejournal about a million years ago, through another friend. Though we've never been in each other's physical presence, I count her among my very best friends. Knowing her makes me a better person. She is passionate, kind, giving, selfless and simply amazing. As we struggled with infertility, she constantly sent me encouraging notes and little trinkets to lift my spirits. When I felt like I simply.could.not.go.on. she pushed me forward. When we conceived Grunt, she cheered and celebrated and rejoiced and immediately got busy getting me information I would need to make this time around a success, when it came to breastfeeding. When I felt like I had hit a complete wall with breastfeeding, she encouraged me to keep it up and reminded me how important it was to me. When I had to give it up because I just couldn't anymore, she never once judged me and instead reminded me that I had tried so hard. Why do I call her my PenguinPants? Well see there's this little book called "My Personal Penguin" and when we first met, Chrissi called me her Personal Penguin. It's been a fitting description of our friendship.

Secondly, I want to thank my girlfriend Taryn. Taryn is the embodiment of perfect girlfriend-ship. Except for the pesky fact that she lives in Texas. But Texas is lucky to have her, as am I. Whenever I need her, she's there. I tell her things I tell no one else. She makes me laugh like nobody's business. She is funny, smart, generous, kind and fiercely loyal. She is a constant stream of support, giggles and general merriment. We've developed our own language thanks to a funny website and randomly text each other throughout the day with encouragement or silly jokes. She's an amazing mama and an inspiration.

Friday Five - Grunt's many faces

2011-09-23T06:56:00.000-07:00

What's that you say?

How interesting, I'll have to think about that!

That's a really interesting point you bring up!

Yes I think you're probably right but do you know what I think?

I think this is what a food coma looks like

'Til the cows come home

2011-09-18T17:41:00.000-07:00

Many moons ago, before my Jersey Mama married my Mountain Mark, they went on a date to the State Fair where a little lady named Reba McEntire (this was back in her "Whoever's in New England" days) was performing. Because my Mama was a single mom, I got to tag along. As I sang along to every single Reba song she sang, Mark commented to my mom how cute it was that I knew all the words and how impressed he was. Knowing all those songs comes in handy nowadays as I mostly sing Reba songs to Joshua Mark who is also clearly impressed as he smiles and giggles, particularly on the sad ones like "You Lie", "It's Your Call" and "I Know How He Feels". It seems fitting that Mountain Mark's namesake also appreciates a pretty redhead from Oklahoma named Reba (and the pretty redhead from Nebraska who's doing a poor job imitating her...that's me!).So, tonight, in honor of both Mark and Joshua Mark, I give you one of my all time favorite Reba songs!

A tale of two brothers

2011-09-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

Nathan at 3 mos.

Joshua at 2.5 mos.

2011-09-14T19:45:00.001-07:00

I have a kickin' Wordless Wednesday post that I'll get posted tomorrow when Photobucket quits being difficult :)

Evil is real and so is courage

2011-09-11T09:37:00.000-07:00

I could say a lot about today, about 9/11/2001, about how I felt and how I've changed. But my words can never honor the victims enough. So, today, just as I was 10 years ago, I am comforted by the words and demeanor of President George W. Bush.God bless America.

Unwind, unravel

2011-09-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

It's been a sad, anxiety-filled, stressful few weeks. But, the weather's been lovely. Because the temperatures have finally cooled down, I've resumed walking on the trail back behind our house. You head down our road and turn left on this little dirt road. Then you can cross over the creek onto a walking/bike trail maintained by the city. That path runs down between some corn fields, across the prairie and back over the creek on a wooden bridge, when the creek turns in a different direction. I usually throw my mp3 player on (usually Blake Shelton, John Rich or Maroon 5). It takes me about an hour to walk the specific section of the trail that I walk and head home. When I come back home, I cross over the creek here:I know it sounds cheesy, but as I walk across I always stop on the bridge and listen to the water rushing through. I say a little prayer and I mentally throw all my concerns and anxieties into the creek. I actually envision the words themselves being tossed into the creek and rushing away from me. I'm not sure if it's the visualization or the prayer (or, likely, a combination of both), but I always feel a lot better when I get done walking. I daresay it's at least as good for my mental health as it is for my physical health!

Pray without ceasing

2011-08-30T06:53:00.000-07:00

In the interest of privacy for the grieving family, I'm going to keep this very general and brief. A dear friend of mine lost her baby this weekend, allegedly at the hands of the baby's father. I am filled up with grief. I am overcome with worry. I am beaten down with sadness. This little boy was very close in age to Joshua and I find myself drawing comparisons and my brain is mentally adding bruises to my sweet baby (I hate you brain). Twice before in my adult life I remember feeling like this; when I had my miscarriage and on 9/11. I tossed and turned last night and just kept repeating in my head, through the tears, "please God...please...please". I'm not sure what I'm pleading for. Comfort perhaps? Strength? Punishment? Justice? I'm not sure exactly. I just know that I can't stop running it through my head just like that, "please God...please...please...". I ask you to hold your children tight today. Tell them you love them and make sure they hear you. I ask you to pray today. For what exactly, I don't know.

I'm so lucky to have had the chance to love this much

2011-08-23T09:45:00.001-07:00

Joshua laughed for me the first time this weekend. I was holding him out in front of me singing him country-song lullabyes and he opened up his mouth and giggled. It's even funnier because I was singing a "funny" country song, Lee Ann Womack's "I"ll think of a reason later". I'm delighted and, unfortunately for the rest of my house, this has only encouraged me to dance around the house with Grunt singing him country songs even freakin more. In fact, my father in law's coming into town tomorrow and I really should be cleaning the house right now. But I just can't think of anything more important than dancing around the house singing songs to Joshie.

Man that girl sure loves to...FISH!

2011-08-20T10:53:00.000-07:00

A good song for kickin off a mellow country weekend. Plus, it's damned good for a giggle.

If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn?

2011-08-17T07:05:00.000-07:00

This one's for Marianne

You see, she did a cranky kid contest on her blog and I was torn. Because there are three really awesome pictures of Stomp having a meltdown. So, here they are.

I'm sorry but this one's just cute. He's not actually screamin' but he's got a great pout goin.

This is the other one I almost submitted. I feel like this ~~most~~ some days!

We were driving home from Wisconsin when Stomp was about 18 months old and he was done. I feel like this ~~most~~ some of the time too. Couldn't have said it better myself, Stomp.

Friends are the family we choose

2011-08-16T19:57:00.000-07:00

Today Nathan started second grade. His teacher seems nice and he's got friends from Kindergarten in his classroom. This also marks the beginning of us watching Reece again. I didn't realize until I took him to the fair last week how much I missed him (thought I was acutely aware how much Stomp missed him). Since I was a little busy ~~shooting out a kid~~ having Grunt, he was babysat by someone else all summer. We had so much fun at the fair on Friday and I'm really, really happy to have him back. Before we had Grunt, when it looked like we might never have any more kids, we had Reece. He became a protective older brother for Stomp and brought a lot of light and joy into our lives. Through watching him, I became convinced it was my lot in life to be surrounded by rowdy, sweet, hick boys. And of course, he's also super fond of Grunt.

So this morning, I shot this picture of the boys in front of the school.

P.S. This is one of the pictures shot with my new camera. More on that tomorrow.

P.P.S. Reece clearly needs his own blog nickname like Stomp, Grunt and The Viking. Suggestions?

Friday five - Country music edition!

2011-08-12T15:37:00.000-07:00

Okay y'all. In honor of the last school-free weekend of the summer...In honor of mama havin a cold bottle of Budweiser...In honor of redneck nights, cut off jeans, classic country music, tailgates, lakes and cold beer, I give you my favorite five summer country songs!

1. First, a classic. A no-holds-barred hick classic.

2. Secondly, I love this song even though I don't currently own a boat (p.s. a boat is in the dream and the long-term plans). There ain't nothin like spending the summer out on the lake.

3. Okay, so it's a little goofy, but I love it none-the-less (probably because it's a little goofy!)

4. I've blogged about this one before, but I love it so much it deserves another mention.

5. I love being barefoot.

Okay, so there's my top 5. This list coulda easily gone on forever, but I stopped at 5. What's on yours?

Daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life.

2011-08-11T10:23:00.000-07:00

Today I'm thankful that I am "just" a housewife. High-powered executive types don't really get it and that's okay. I hear a lot of "so what do you do all day?" and "oh so you don't work?".

I knew once it set in I was going to be a mama that I was going to be a mama at home. My mom worked all.the.time. and I never wanted that for that my kids. Don't get me wrong, my Jersey Mama loves me to mieces and pieces and that's always been perfectly clear. But I missed out on a lot by having a working mama. She couldn't take the time to volunteer at school. I had to take the school bus so after-school-activities were out of the question. And besides all that, I had this image in my head of what my life as a mama could be like. Clean house, clothes on the line, cookies in the oven, home-cooked meals, playdates, walks to the library, etc.

I'm happy to say that stay-at-home-mama-hood has not disappointed. Oh sure, my house isn't as clean as I'd like, but it's tidy. I don't get to bake as often as I like, but I'm able to brighten my husband's day with his favorite peanut-butter cookies pretty often. The rest of those things have fallen quickly into place. And maybe I can't afford jet-setting vacations or a new car, but my kids will look back on their childhood and will remember that mama was around for games and stories and snuggles.

My first year as a mama was rough. We lived with my mother in law in one bedroom and I didn't have a house to call mine. I really only had "mom" stuff to tend to. No "house" stuff. As much as I love the mom stuff, the house stuff really fills out and completes my role. I have two awesome boys now and the house stuff can be overwhelming if I don't temper it with plenty of mom-time. For instance, the addition of just one little boy has increased my laundry-pile three fold. How is that even possible? He can't even walk yet!

So, with all the snide, not-entirely-friendly comments I've been hearing lately about my role as a Mom, I just want to say that I'm thankful for it and I honestly hope I never have to change my career choice! I'm thankful for two sweet sons who make it possible (and fun) to be a mom and I'm thankful for The Viking, who works super hard so we can "afford" for Mama to be at home where she belongs, raising the boys!

A cowboy is a man with guts and a horse.

2011-08-10T11:16:00.000-07:00

Well not entirely wordless Wednesday...

Here's a pic of Nathan from the rodeo this week in Lincoln. He got to be a mutton buster. He loved it and had so much fun. I'm super duper proud of my cowboy!

God continues to work miracles in my life.

2011-08-07T11:19:00.000-07:00

It still hasn't entirely set in that I've got a baby. I've got a month of sleepless nights and round-the-clock feedings under my belt...and of course, I was pregnant for 9 long months. But, after all those years of infertility, I still can't quite believe it's not a dream. Sure have come a long way since the ER doctor said "you don't have the flu, you're pregnant".

Big Chicken

2011-08-03T18:50:00.000-07:00

I was talking to The Viking the other night about something...I admit I've forgotten what.

The Viking tells me this: I hear ya cluckin', Big Chicken.

I died laughing.

"For those who want to give their baby a spiritual, yet infectious edge..."

2011-08-02T19:08:00.000-07:00

I can't stop laughing at this. It's an article from cracked.com about some truly wackadoodle parenting practices. I'm not talkin like naming your kid "Rainy-Day-Apple-Monday" or co-sleeping or anything ~~hippie~~ ~~crunchy~~ a-little-non-mainstream like that. I mean wack.a.doodle practices. Particularly amusing to me? The section on baby yoga. Particularly nauseating to me? The section on lotus birthing.

I've laughed so hard my stomach is actually hurting and I'm quite certain I don't have to work my abs now...Not that I was working them before, who'm I kiddin?

***EDIT***-- I in no way mean to offend people who believe in these mmm "ideas"...They're just wackadoodle to me. ~~And perhaps a lot of other people~~

Our memories of yesterday will last a lifetime

2011-07-29T14:39:00.000-07:00

Twenty-some years ago, my mom married a handsome, bearded man named Mark. He loved camping and his pick-up truck and oh man how he loved my Jersey Mama. My mom had full custody of me so naturally him and I spent a lot of time together. We shared a mutual love for popcorn and ice cream (with chocolate syrup) and when my Mama had a job working out of town, or just a job working a lot of hours, that's what we'd have for supper. Through Mountain Mark I developed a silly sense of humor and a fondness for things like Get Smart and The Jerk. I learned to laugh easily and how to camp in the rain. Oh it wasn't always sunshine and rainbows. I was a difficult teenager (to put it mildly) and there were the usual clashes over discipline, boys, etc. But when push came to shove, Mark always had my back and has always been one of my biggest "cheerleaders" and oh how I love him. At my wedding I insisted that I have a Daddy-Daughter dance with him as well. We danced to "Tiny Dancer" though Mark later said he wished we'd danced to The Best Of Times by Styx. Now that I'm grown, we share a friendship that's indescribable. He still makes me laugh and no one else really thinks we're as funny as we do. We talk every day and it is one of my greatest sorrows that him and Jersey Mama don't live closer.

So even before we found out we were having a boy, I knew I wanted to honor Mark somehow. I'm his only child and I really wanted the baby boy to have some part of Mark in him. So, our baby grunt became Joshua Mark. And every time I call him by his full name I get a little tingle of joy and warmth in my heart. I've always used Stomp's full name often (in regular conversation, when I tell him I love him, when he's in trouble of course) and I can see the trend continuing with Joshua, especially because of the love I feel for Mountain Mark.

It is only in the act of nursing that a woman realizes her motherhood in visible and tangible fashion

2011-07-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

When I was pregnant with Nathan I knew right off the bat I wanted to breastfeed. It didn't even occur to me that moms sometimes choose to formula feed and I couldn't figure out why you would. So after Nathan ~~shot out~~ was born, I set about ready to breastfeed him. He got latched on properly and I thought all systems were a-go. We spent the 4 days we were in the hospital nursing furiously and I THOUGHT doing everything right. By the time we checked out of the hospital, he'd lost a lot of weight and the doctor insisted I supplement with formula. No problem, I thought, but I didn't want there to be any confusion (although, the nursery had already started giving him a pacifier, against my specific wishes and instructions). So instead of using bottles, we used an SNS. Basically it's a tube that I got taped to my breasts and the baby would latch onto the tube as well as to the nipple and nurse that way. After two very long weeks of this and taking every prescription known to man, the Lactation Consultant concluded I had simply never gotten my milk in. The LC cried as she told me I'd never be able to fully nurse Stomp and she praised me and The Viking for trying so many different things and fighting so hard to nurse. It was a really traumatic and tough time. I was exhausted and hormonal and I'd just found out my body couldn't (or wouldn't) make milk, the one thing women are inherently supposed to be able to do to care for their child. I felt like a failure as a mother and honestly, I was just confused. I'd worried about plenty of other stuff while I was pregnant but I had never in my life heard of a woman not making milk or not being able to breastfeed. It wasn't even on my radar as a potential problem. It was so traumatic for me that I talked about it at length with other ~~boob nazis~~ mamas while we were trying to conceive. I talked about how important it had been to me to do it and how I hoped if I ever got pregnant again I'd be able to do it the second time around. Several friends assured me that if I were armed with the right information I'd probably be able to do better this time around. Because it hadn't occurred to me that this might be a problem, I knew surprisingly little about nursing and engorgement and breastmilk and all things boob-related.

Fast forward ~~a kajillion~~ a few years and I get pregnant with Grunt. Once I got over the shock and ultrasounds confirmed baby was doing okay, nursing was at the top of my list of concerns. As early as my 16 week appointment, I was asking the doctor what I could do to up my chances of being able to successfully nurse Joshua. I set about researching and finding a nursing mentor. I asked a million questions of women I knew who had done it. My doctor, knowing what I went through with Stomp (even though I went through it in Albuquerque) was really just adamant that I not get too focused on it and that I absolutely not beat myself up over it, regardless of how it happened. So out came Grunt and we set about nursing as soon as we could. Unfortunately because of the effects of the anesthesia I didn't get him to nurse till 3-4 hours after my surgery. This was still a whole lot better than in Albq where I didn't get to try to nurse him until at least 6 hours post-op. In fact, I realize that the nurses in Albq really didn't give us much help at all. The LC didn't seem to really know what she was talking about and of course there was that issue of the pacifier in the nursery. In sharp contrast, the nurses here obeyed all my wishes and were like my own personal band of cheerleaders, encouraging me to nurse and helping to make sure Grunt had a proper latch/suck. I have to be honest, I was feelin like a rockstar up in there. I kept making the baby high-five me in the middle of the night as I'd whisper in his ear "we got this, Joshie, we GOT this!". But still, when we went to check out from the hospital he'd lost a significant amount of weight and the doctor wanted us to supplement with formula. Again we used the SNS. A word on the SNS: it's a lovely contraption and it has a very valid purpose. But, it's flat out torturous to use. It's a simple enough device but it leaks intermittently (so you can't even figure out when or why)and it's difficult to get the tubes positioned right and occasionally the tubes will just randomly stop working. But we dutifully used it, hoping to get my milk supply in or up, depending on what the situation was. I met with the LC here in town and she told me something I hadn't heard: they're finding out that PCOS almost guarantees you're going to have a supply issue. Nonetheless, weighing him pre and post feeding confirmed that he was getting about an ounce of breastmilk. She reassured me that although he wasn't getting enough from me, he was still getting every benefit of mama's milk. She prescribed some fenugreek, metformin and goat's rue and encouraged us to keep at it. She also told us I may very well have to supplement with formula for the entire time I breastfeed, not the news we were hoping to hear. I was to make sure I ate enough protein and drank enough water, got lots of rest (hahaha), avoided stress (double hahaha), etc. I continued to nurse him every 2 hours, using the SNS. A couple of nights of no sleep prompted us to try a bottle instead of the SNS (which is REALLY a handful in the middle of the night when you haven't had any serious sleep). Grunt liked that bottle just a little too much so we quickly switched back to the SNS. It sucked (pun intended) but we were getting through.

And then...then I got this horrible infection. There was absolutely no reason I couldn't continue to nurse, so I have. Unfortunately we've fallen off the every 2 hour wagon because it was simply necessary in the hospital. We've also quit using the SNS. What we do now is offer one or both breasts at most feedings and then give him the bottle. He no longer favors the bottle over the breast and sometimes he nurses just for the sheer comfort of it. Occasionally he nurses for over an hour. I see no problem with this and figure maybe it helps make up for the times when Mama is too tired/sick/busy (with doctor's visits, dressing changes, etc) to nurse him. I'm sure there are people out there who would harp on me for not doing it down to the second and not doing it exactly right. But the bottom line is I did it exactly right for a few weeks and it didn't do much good. But besides even that, my circumstances are ~~a lot~~ a little complicated right now and I'm just flat out doing the best I can. Plenty of women have given up nursing for worse reasons and I refuse to feel guilty. Baby is happy and healthy and gaining weight and thriving. And I'm continuing to nurse in the hopes that maybe we can return to a more rigorous schedule after this infection clears up.

The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.

2011-07-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update. I am home now. We're doing another course of antibiotics with pain meds to manage my pain. I have to go back into the hospital every other day for dressing changes. Laboratory tests confirmed today that we are dealing with Staph. So the dr is keeping a close watch on things and if things don't improve, I may have to be re-admitted. Thank you so much for all the emails and well wishes. Y'all are the best! *MWAH*

We have quite the busy schedule for the rest of the summer. School kicks back up in 3 weeks and we have 2 weeks of nightly swim lessons and the county fair before then. But still, I'm planning to rest a lot and vow to keep my feet up at night eating peanut butter cups (the doctor says I need the protein!) and watching Big Brother.

Happy 8 day!

2011-07-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

You know you're a blogger when the doctor tells you, "we're going to put you in the hospital for this infection which, oh by the way, is eating your flesh" and you think, "I hope I can bring my laptop so I can facebook/tweet/liveblog my horrible, awful infection".

So that's what I'm doing...and here's what's going on (warning: it is a touch gross).

I developed a topical infection a week or so after delivering Joshua. The doctor kept telling me"try to keep it dry...in Nebraska...in JULY". Then we'd all have a good chuckle. So anyway, it didn't get better...and didn't get better.....and then got worse. So after seeing the doctor 3 or 4 times and a 2nd round of antibiotics/creams/etc, I went in to see a different doc because mine was out of town. He said "wow that's not good, has that hole been getting bigger?". I say "what hole?". He says "wow that's really, really really not good, I'm going to admit you to the hospital". They gave me some time to go home and pack some stuff and round up some troops (to take Nathan, to sit with me till Mike could get home, etc) and yesterday afternoon I checked back into the hospital. They started me on some IV antibiotics and did some very basic wound care while assuring me their "wound care specialist" would be in to see me and give me some better tips. They let the baby stay in the room with me and The Viking and Stomp headed down to spend the weekend with Grandma Faraways. Soooo the wound care lady came in and told me that my infection is eating through my skin, making it resemble "hamburger" and has tunneled into my flesh (gross, huh?). She did some ~~horribly painful~~ very thorough "wound care" (which involved "packing" iodine soaked gauze into the "tunnels")and doped me up on antibiotics and pain pills. I've been "resting"** and they seem to think I should be going home by tomorrow night or maybe Monday morning. Until then, I'm eating lousy food, updating my facebook with wildly disgusting updates and hanging out with The Viking and Grunt.

Everytime I'm in the hospital I think of Brian Regan. So, for your giggling pleasure, I give you this clip:

**It should be noted the doctor told me about 152 times to "rest". I kept thinking "this isn't like a COLD, how is resting going to help me?" Of course "resting" means that you're not agitating infected skin or causing more ~~perspiration~~ gross-ness in the infected area. I should have listened. I realize that now.

Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children.

2011-07-20T12:12:00.000-07:00

A Wordless Wednesday twofer!

Stomp, Papa Mark, Joshie

Grandma and Joshie

I hold my whole world in my arms, every time i hold my baby

2011-07-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

Our birth story (don't worry, it will not include details like cervical dilation and membrane rupture)...

Friday afternoon (July 1st), my parents came into town. We spent a fun afternoon playing in the sprinkler and laughing and enjoying being reunited. Papa Mark, in particular, spent lots of time rolling down the hill through the water with Nathan. The Viking had to work late as he was about to be off work for the next 11 days (since we were having a baby on the 5th). Our plans for the evening were simple: fireworks, sprinklers, and sandwiches for supper. ~~Several~~ A few beers were to be consumed by The Viking and my parents. I of course was merely planning on some watermelon and sweet tea. Our friends came over and we all settled into the grass for some fireworks. I was feeling pretty lousy but just chalked it up to being 9 months pregnant in July and all the excitement of the day. We sat in the grass and watched the fireworks. The kids played with sparklers and Jersey Mama and I hung back out of the way and laughed. At one point there was an accident with one of the artillery shells. No one was hurt but it was quite a scare. I jumped up and grabbed Nathan out of the way and soothed him. Then I joked "I think I just went into labor". It should be noted that all night long The Viking and my parents kept making jokes like "Oh hey we're here now, the baby can come anytime" and "oh hey I'm off work now, the baby can come anytime". We even joked with one member of the Trailerhood who was standing down the hill talking to me, "hey while you're down there, if the baby falls out, be ready to catch him, ok?". So anyway, after the scare with the fireworks we decided that was enough of that excitement for now. Afterall, we had 2 more nights of fireworks planned before the 4th. My parents luggage finally got delivered around 11:30 p.m. (the airline lost it) and they headed off to the hotel. At this point I was feeling really really off and had been having not-particularly-painful contractions for the last hour or so.

Stomp had fallen asleep on the sofa and The Viking and I watched some Friends and tried to unwind from a super exciting day. I started to experience an unholy amount of pain. I let Mike ~~pass out~~ go to sleep and I just laid there and tried to deal. When the pain kept getting worse and worse and I was having trouble timing the contractions from the pain I woke The Viking up to help me time them. After an hour or so, around 1:30 or so in the morning, I called the ER and asked what I should do. "Come in now" they told me. I called my parents at the hotel and woke them up and asked them to come to the house and sit with Nathan so I could go to the hospital. We got to the ER and I explained that I'd run out of the pills that the doc had given me to stop the contractions but that these weren't anything like the contractions I was having anyway. They monitored me and called the doc who said to give me the pills to stop the contractions and we'd see where things went (I truly believe they didn't want to try to assemble a team to deliver the baby at 3:00 a.m...which is fine with me, I'd rather they be well-rested and sharp when they deliver my kid). I continued to contract, painfully, terribly, painfully so while Mike slept. Mike told me later, "I really thought they were going to give you some more Phenagran, the contractions would stop and we'd be going home". Around 6 I called my dad and told him what was going on and that I suspected we'd be having the baby today. Around then they came back in to check me (they'd been checking in all night) and saw that I was still having very painful, very strong contractions. They called the doctor back and he said "okay, get her ready, let's deliver this kid". The L&D room then became a flurry of activity as they rushed around getting me ready to deliver in an hour. As soon as the nurse announced we were about to pop this kid outta there (my words, not hers), the contractions stopped, completely. Mike and I frantically called the people who had wanted to be in the waiting room while I delivered and people started showing up. I was extremely nervous. I've always said that having a c-section didn't bother me and wasn't that nerve wracking but I hadn't finished preparing myself for it. Afterall, Joshua wasn't due to be born until the 5th! The doctor came in and reassured me (and confessed he didn't think I'd make it past 36 weeks so he was glad we'd made it to 38 weeks and 4 days)and we got ready to go. They swept Mike away to get dressed and I walked into the OR.

That's when the Hell started. The anesthesiologist missed where he needed to get the needle. Not once...not twice...three times. Three times he stuck the needle into the nerve that ran down my right leg. The first two times he did it I screamed and started crying. I screamed loud enough I began to worry Mike would hear and would come in and, being The Protective Viking Husband he is, knock the guy out. The third time it hurt so bad I opened my mouth to scream and no sound came out. That's how bad it hurt. Eventually he got the needle where it needed to go. But then...well, I assume he was touching my face because it was the only part of me not numb, but he kept caressing my face to ask if I was okay. I was very relieved when Mike came back into the room and could keep an eye on Dr Creepy-And-Inept. Once all that was done, it was easy as pie. Dr Wonderful was there and kept talking to me about how exciting it was. The baby came out screaming, no need to spank his bottom or get him rubbed down, he came right out wailing...wailing and cold. He screamed for the entire time they worked on him. He'd taken a big gulp of fluid on his way out so it took them a few extra minutes to get him all cleaned up and cleared out. They swept him off to the nursery and the docs finished stitching me up. For some reason Dr Wonderful and the doc who was assisting him started acting out The Big Lebowski. It was...surreal.

They got me all finished up and sent off to the room. As I passed by the nursery my whole family was there and I called out to Nathan "hey baby!". He ran over to me and said "Oh hey mama. Hey, Mom? Our baby IS SO CUTE." He was so serious about it. It was adorable. Joshua was the only baby in the nursery and apparently when you have a baby here you get the big room. My hospital room was bigger than some apartments I've seen. One of the days I was in recovering, we had 10 people in there eating supper and there was plenty of room. It was super nice and the nursing staff was amazing. They helped me to get him nursing as soon as possible and got me comfortable and just really looked out for us. They were, however, a little disappointed that we wanted him in room with us. They don't get a lot of babies born here in town and they wanted us to send him to the nursery so they could snuggle him! We had a really wonderful experience (with the exception of Dr Creepy-And-Inept) and I got to experience what labor feels like. Now I'll know for next time. I had so many "labor scares" this pregnancy and I kept telling the doctor "I don't know if I'm in labor, it's never happened before, how will I know?". Now I know.

Phew, that got long-winded. Kudos to you if you read all the way through!

"The mother's heart is the child's schoolroom."

2011-07-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

Today was The Viking's first day back to work since we had the baby. He got off Friday the 1st and immediately started cracking jokes about how now that he was off work I could have the baby anytime. Then I went into labor just after midnight on the 2nd. I blame him for me going into labor.

Anyway, he's been off since then. While we were all bummed to see him go back to work, I was downright excited to see how our daily routine would go without him here. I had visions of finally getting a handle on the dishes and laundry that have piled up while I've been recovering, of trips to the library, of finally fixing my boys a supper that wasn't a sandwich. It turns out our daily routine isn't much of a routine yet. We got up and everyone ate (in total honesty, I would've forgotten to eat if Nathan hadn't reminded me) and then we (drum roll please) did nothing. We snuggled. Stomp and I inspected Joshua's toes to try and figure out why they're just do darned cute. Then we stroked his head and talked about how soft his hair is. Then we marveled at how he could sleep through all this. Then Nathan watched tv and I made a phone call or two. Then we all had a nap and some more snuggles. I didn't cook supper, I didn't do housework (except making my bed). In short I didn't fullfill any of my housewife duties...

...And that's okay. The whole reason I stay home is so my kids (and to a lesser extent, my home) can be tended for and cared for by me, Mama, The Boss Applesauce, SuperMom. Today I may not win any awards for the cleanest house or the most natural, nutritious meal (thank you Pizza Hut), but you know what I could win an award for? Mothering. The simple acts of being with my kids, talking to them, loving on them, snuggling them and teaching them about the simple joys in life.

“A baby is God's opinion that life should go on.”

2011-07-13T08:25:00.000-07:00

Babies, what a wonderful way to start people!

2011-07-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

On Friday night at 2:00 am, I began having actual real contractions. We went to the hospital where they found that while I hadn't dilated, I was having serious enough contractions to try to stop them. Although, to be honest, I think they only tried to stop them so they wouldn't be assembling a crack-surgery team at 3 a.m. So anywho, they gave me some meds and I contracted until around 7 a.m. (whilst The Viking had the nerve to sleep!) when the nurse came in and said oh hey, sorry to rush you but we're going to have this baby in an hour. They began a whirlwind of equipment and needles and forms and signatures. So they got it set up and right at 8:00 a.m. they wheeled me in. After a near-disaster with the anesthesiologist (he hit the nerves in my right leg three.separate.times and some minor blood loss, Joshua Mark was born at 8:37 a.m. He weighed 8 lbs and was 21 1/4 inches long. He came out screaming right off the bat!

Mama and baby are doing well now. We are home from the hospital and so ready to sleep in our own bed. There are lots of details, pictures and funny stories to share with y'all but for right now I just want to lay down in my own bed and sleep for the two hours Joshie allows!

Always treat your woman like a lady

2011-06-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

5 Things My Husband Has Learned About Being Married To A ~~Psychopath~~ Pregnant Woman:

1. If you live in a home with only one bathroom, always ask if your wife needs to use it before you do.

2. Nightly backrubs mean more than flowers, chocolates, diamonds or gold.

3. There will come a time when you will get into trouble, serious trouble, for eating the last of the cheese/pickles/cereal/green beans. There is nothing you can do about this except offer to go get more.

4. Your wife is not sleeping. She's not even almost sleeping. You should, therefore, never comment on how tired you are.

5. Offering to clean the toilet so she has a "clean place to throw up" will earn you more points than any other act, including nightly backrubs.

The most common craving of a pregnant woman is not to be pregnant

2011-06-23T06:56:00.000-07:00

Let's catch up a bit, shall we?

1. I'm about to burst. Technically I'll have my c-section on July 5th...if the little turkey will wait that long. There have been multiple episodes of "practice" contractions (which, fyi, are painful and do occasionally come regularly...mostly in the middle of the night) and a nesting instinct that's taken over with a vengeance. I suspect I may be having this kid a bit earlier than planned. We'll see. Whatever the case, I hope I get some sleep before the baby comes. I am deep in The Blur.

2. I've been on "leave" from watching Reece for a week or so now. We miss him, for sure, but it's been so quiet and sweet having one-on-one time with Stomp. He's very protective of Mama right now and keeps insisting I rest. He's ever so ready for his baby brother to come and on Father's Day insisted we put together the crib. Unfortunately the crib arrived here damaged and the boys weren't able to do that. So they went to the basement and brought up loads of stuff that we can use (including our bassinet and oodles of clothes, etc).

3. If I could ever follow through on anything (see above about The Blur and the Insane Nesting), I could maybe get the hospital bag packed and we'd about be all ready to have this kid. This doesn't, fyi, stop me from waking up in the middle of the night in a tizzy about all the stuff I just "have" to get done before he comes. I of course never have the energy to get any of this done. Plus, my bp's been a little high and I've been having those ridiculous "practice" contractions, so the doc wants me "resting". Right...resting. Which is sooooo easy these days .

Where ya at?

2011-06-13T10:47:00.001-07:00

Ho-Hum where have you been?

Well darlings, I've had 2 baby showers, a hubby out of town and a laptop on the fritz. So the correct answer is, I have been out of my mind!

Howl at the moon, shoot out the lights

2011-06-07T11:10:00.000-07:00

Some bits and pieces of the thoughts trying to tumble through my brain in all this dadgum heat:

1. My thoughts and prayers goin out all over the Midwest right now as the Heartland tries to deal with flooding. We have dear friends just across the river in Iowa and it sounds like they're going to have to pack up and evacuate. I can't even imagine trying to deal with all that right now and I just pray they're able to get back home soon!

2. More thoughts and prayers goin out to the folks out in New Mexico. Apparently there's a wildfire blazing in Arizona that is blowing ash, soot and smoke right on over into NM. This means their air quality is worse than it usually is and many homes can't run their swamp coolers. The heat + air quality is doing a lot of damage, particularly to the elderly and the ill.

3. As for Nebraska, well shooey it is flippin.hot. Highs in the 100's yesterday and today both. This makes for a slightly more nauseated and headache-ey version of Mama. But we're gettin through! We've been to the lake once already. Unfortunately, and for some odd reason, there were dead fish lined up on the shore (like 5-6 of them) and the smell was unbearable. I'm hoping not to go back until that particular issue has been resolved. Also unfortunately, our local pool is closed for some major maintenance issues and we've no idea when it'll open. So we've been spending a lot of time soaking up the AC, watching Spongebob and eating popsicles, lots and lots and lots of popsicles. I've done away with clothing whenever possible. All this week Stomp has activity time at the library so we can go soak up THEIR AC for a while!

4. Both my baby showers are this weekend and I'm very excited. Yesterday Stomps and I made a "Countdown To Baby Calendar". He's getting very excited and this way he can see exactly how many days until Gramma and Papa get here and from there, how many days until Joshua arrives.

Oops, just noticed it's time to trot off to the library! I hope you're all well and that all those suffering right now can get some peace, serenity, strength and comfort from the Good Lord above.

Tenders

2011-06-03T07:11:00.000-07:00

1. What’s your favorite zoo animal?
Penguins or seals

2. What’s your favorite circus act?
The animals

3. When did you last attend (or participate in) a parade?
Last 4th of July

4. When did you last attend a sporting event?
Hmmm Probably last year. I think we did a Salt Dogs game last summer. Would like to do one more before the baby comes!

5. What unique festivals does your area feature in celebration of some kind of food?
Around the Bend Steakhouse does an annual Testicle Festival. I'd like to go. I like me some fried ... uhhh ... "tenders", especially of the turkey variety!

Mama sends her best y'all

2011-05-30T09:22:00.000-07:00

God bless our troops, today and every day. We can never thank you, or your families, enough.

Some of my favorite "soldier" songs...not a single one leaves me dry-eyed.

Barefoot blue jean night

2011-05-27T14:38:00.000-07:00

Awww, Jake Owen wrote a song about me

"Blue eyes and auburn hair, sittin lookin pretty by the fire in a lawn chair"

Country cutie

2011-05-25T09:35:00.001-07:00

32 weeks pregnant

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy

2011-05-23T14:17:00.000-07:00

Summer's starting to rear its head here on Ho-Hum Drive. Oh sure, we're still having spring storms and we're due for a couple of "colder" days next week, but in our little house, summertime has ... sprung? swum? If spring is "sprung" what exactly does summer do?

Anywho, we've been eating watermelon, drinking lemonade, frolicking in the sprinklers (my personal favorite) and eating popsicles by the fistful. I've taken to wearing tank tops, tube tops and cut off shorts. I care very little that I'm 8 months pregnant and probably shouldn't be showing so much skin. It is hot and Mama needs to be comfortable! This is really my favorite part of summer, the part where it's still cool enough to leave the windows open and feel the humid heat on your skin while a fan lazily turns and cools you. The part where it's not so freakin hot you can only sit inside in the ac drinking ~~ice cold beer~~ sweet tea, when the heat hasn't brought out the mosquitoes, when the nights still cool down from the day's heat.

Summertime in Nebraska is very different from summertime in New Mexico. There is no green grass to run on when you want a turn in the sprinklers in NM, there isn't the humidity that will cool you just a bit if the right breeze kicks up, there is no lake a mere 15 minutes up the road and you would never dare leave your windows open all night long.

It won't be too long now and we'll have the kiddie pool permanently set up, and the slip and slide runnin down the hill and the lawn chairs and the coolers for beer and pop will be set up in the yard. We'll be spending long, hot nights sitting in the yard watching the kids play and having a turn or two in the pool ourselves. I've written before about how I sort of just love all the seasons and am always ready for the next one when it's about time for it to arrive. I'm sure by August I'll be miserable from the heat, but for right now? Right now I'm just enjoying the feel of sunshine on my shoulders, the tang of lemonade on my tongue and the sweet feeling of unabashed lazy that comes from early summertime!

A Tale Of Two Bullies

2011-05-18T14:48:00.000-07:00

All in all, Stomp has had a pretty mellow year. But he has had two notable incidents with kids who were less than kind to him. They were both handled by me and the school and I would assume the other childrens' parents. The outcomes were very different. Please note, I'm not going to call anyone out here because these are just children. They will simply be Child A and Child B.

Child A: Child A is a little boy of a woman that used to run in our circle of friends. Eventually we had to explain to her that it was a challenge to be her friend when her child was so clearly out of control. Not a comfortable situation for anyone. However, this child is in Stomp's classroom and they spend a lot of time together. Roughly 2-3 times a week, Stomp tells me that Child A has done one of the following: screamed in his face, called him names, bitten him, kicked him or hit him. On several occasions, Child A has been called into the principal's office for threatening to kill another child or for violence against another child. Stomp's teacher (who, fyi, is freakin incredible) has chatted with me at length about what's been going on and we've come to the same conclusion: Basically Stomp is a sensitive kid, very in tune with other's emotions and very concerned with being kind and polite. Child A has trouble, in their teacher's words, "looking out for other children's emotions". I've done what I can on my end and the only person who has any chance of getting Child A to respond is his parent, who is apparently not concerned. The behavior continues to this day. Thankfully, Awesome Teacher has made a request to the principal that this boy not be near my child in next year's classroom. But it's gone further, because Child A has missed so much school and been such a disruption, he has been held back a year and will not even be on Stomp's radar for next year. They won't share a lunch or a recess or anything like that. I keep thinking to myself that I just have to get through the rest of this school year and this nightmare child will be away from mine.

Child B: Child B is a little boy who is in Stomp's gym class. For a few days in a row, Stomp told me that this little boy had been unkind (name calling, pushing, etc). I told Stomp that we should give it a day or two and just see what happens. "Sometimes", I explain to my sweet, loving child, "Sometimes people are just havin a rough week. Let's give it a couple of days and see if he snaps out of it". I took this approach because I had never heard of Nathan having a problem with this child before. We gave it a few days and when it continued I talked to Awesome Teacher and she spoke with B's teacher and his parents. Within a day or two, Child B had apologized to Stomp and they now get along fabulously in PE and elsewhere in the school. Quite a different outcome from what has transpired with Child A, wouldn't you say?

I've thought about this at length and I think the only obvious factor that's different is the parents. I went through the same channels and the same steps with each situation and they turned out so radically different. I assume that Child B's parents took him aside and told him flat out, "unacceptable, you apologize, you handle this situation properly and you apologize". I know how Child A's parent responded because I've had several encounters with her regarding her child's behavior (not just with Stomp, but his behavior in my home and how he treats other adults and children, etc). I know that her attitude is that her son has had a bad year and that gives him license to behave however he wants. I understand that a child has a rough time, but that doesn't mean you just throw discipline and standards out the window.

Have you other Mamas had experiences with bullies around your children? Have you found anything that worked? How do your schools handle it? I confess I was surprised how young it started with these 2 boys. But Stomp's school has been incredible about how they've handled it. On my end, I encourage him to be polite and to be kind and I reiterate, particularly about Child A, that it's okay for him to play with someone else. He generally tells me that A "tells on him" when he doesn't play with him. I just keep repeating that he will never get in trouble for that, that he has the right to find friends who are kind to him and treat him with respect. "Child A can tell on you all he wants to, Awesome Teacher and your Mama know what's going on and you are not, nor will you ever be in trouble for finding a friend who isn't mean to you". He struggles with it quite a bit because he wants to be kind and not hurt anyone's feelings. I suppose that's a flaw in how I've raised him. Perhaps I should've taught him to be more protective of himself instead of teaching him that kindness is the first and best response you should give.

Life is tough enough without having someone kick you from the inside

2011-05-16T06:47:00.000-07:00

I am so freakin, flailin, flippin tired my body actually hurts. As in my whole body. My eyes, my hair, my fingernails, my joints and bones and muscles (which, by the way, I like to say "musk-les", you're welcome). Does anyone remember when I wasn't tired? I'm thinking pre-pregnancy sometime, as in pre-pregnant-with-Nathan. But I can't remember. Because I'm tired. See how that works?

Anyway, it's a busy week on Ho-Hum Drive. I have approximately 3 weeks until my two baby showers and I've given myself 2 of those 3 weeks to sell as much crap as I can on Ebay (so be a dear and pass this "linkydoo" along to your friends, wouldja?). After that, if there's enough left, we'll do a small yard sale. Otherwise it's all going to Goodwill. I also am trying to finish up my last 6 quizzes this week. And then there's the laundry. Oi, the laundry. It never stops. Not to mention the natural rigamarole of dishes, floors, errands, and other assorted nonsense. All this on approximately 32 minutes of sleep. If ya need anything, I would not suggest calling. For one, I probably still can't find the phone. For another, I'm too busy wombling (don't you love that word?) around trying not to walk into walls or knock any children down with my 8 month pregnant stomach. Finally, if any more demands are placed on this fuzzy-minded, gigantic-bellied, but still truly adorable redhead, I might freak out and start shootin up the place. Just sayin'.

Are you the man they call "Ugly"?

2011-05-15T18:40:00.000-07:00

As far as Mamas go, I think I'm pretty patient. I don't lose my schmidt ~~every single second~~ more than once a day or so and I generally do okay with teaching new concepts, helping with homework, etc. All that being said, teaching Stomp to tie his shoes is flat out going to be the death of me. Why is this concept so complicated? Why is it so insanely hard to teach little fingers how to make the bows and then wrap them around? Am I the worst teacher ever? Is it because it took me ~~32 years~~ so freakin long to learn myself? Is this a universally difficult concept? Will Stomp and I survive this "learning experience"? Will he go to college wearing velcro shoes? Are we playing the questions game?

No seriously, any Mamas got any ~~miracle cures~~ fancy tips to make this a process that's less painful for all involved?

Shop till ya drop

2011-05-13T20:13:00.000-07:00

1. From what stores is it impossible for you to emerge empty-handed?
Wal-Mart

2.Where do you go when you need to spend a little bit of make-me-feel-better money?
Old Navy!

3. What store did you used to frequent but no longer find appealing?
Hot Topic

4. If you opened your own retail store (not a food-service establishment), what would be its theme, name, and target clientele?
Pajamamies the all-inclusive pajama/sheets/cozy bedtime routine store! I'd sell anything and everything to make sleeping more deliciouser for you. I swear this was my dream before I became 8~~7652~~ months pregnant and stopped sleeping altogether.

5. If you had to purchase all your friends’ gifts at one store for the rest of your life, which would you choose?
Hmmmm. Most of my friends are all adult-y now so I'm thinking Home Depot or Bed Bath and Beyond

One woman's weed is another woman's wildflower

2011-05-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me say that I hope all the awesome Mamas I know had a wonderful Mother's Day. Mine was wonderful. Friday we went out to lunch and to the zoo (more on that in a minute). Saturday we actually had some quiet time as a family. The boys brought me home a present of lillies to plant in the yard, chocolates and the Country Strong soundtrack. I told Mike he hit the Mother's Day trifecta: flowers, candy and country music! Nathan and I put on our swimsuits (no, mine doesn't fit any longer, my big white pregnant belly stuck out everywhere and I didn't even care) and ran through the sprinklers. We had a nice quiet dinner and turned in early. Sunday, we drove down to Gramma Faraways and spent the day with my in laws, who I adore, and all the kiddos. It wasn't exactly relaxing but it was so much fun. I wish I could've been with my Jersey Mama and my Nany but it was a great weekend overall. I'm very lucky that the Viking believes very strongly (very very very very very strongly) that bein a Mama is the most important, hardest job on the planet. He treats me like every day is Mother's Day, but when the big day rolls around, he always does it up right. This year he told me "Thanks for being a Mom for me". I kinda stared at him dumbfounded, not real sure what he meant. He clarified by saying "thanks for being a Mama to our kids". That is one amazing Viking!

So anywho, about Friday: The Viking's middle brother was in town from ~~Crapsville~~ Albuquerque, with our niece and nephew. We had a wonderful time with them, for sure! On Friday, The Viking took the day off from work and we planned to do lunch and the Children's Zoo for the day. As we got the cars loaded up and ready the kids played in the yard. Nathan picked me a "flower" for my hair. He loves to pick me dandelions to pin up in my hair. And I'm sure there are some people shouting at the computer that it's really a weed, but my little boy thinks it's a flower and when he sees pretty flowers he wants to give them to his Mama. I'm pretty sure there isn't anything in this world sweeter. So anyway, he gives me the dandelion and I run back in for a pin to put it up in my hair. We get in the car and go to lunch. As Nathan and I are holding hands walking back from the bathroom, this sweet little old lady (she was 80 if she was a day) stopped me and said, "I just love your Mother's Day flower!". I couldn't help but smile and a warm, soft glow came around me as I thought to myself, "now this is a woman who's been given many a weed for Mother's Day. This is a woman who gets it". In my head I constructed this whole little life for her with a farm full of boys who after a long day of chores and playing and fishing and working in the fields would pick their Mama a dandelion and bring it in to her. She'd pin it up in her hair and grab her sweet boys by the hand and twirl them around the kitchen while she fixed them up some supper. In my head, she kept every one until they withered away.

So, I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend, whether it was filled with fancy flowers or weeds.

Game on!

2011-05-06T09:00:00.001-07:00

1. If you get the first choice of Monopoly tokens, which do you choose? If someone else chooses it first, which is your second choice?
The doggie. Then show shoe

2. What’s a board game you are especially bad at?
Chess

3. What board game are you particularly good at?
Scrabble

4. How competitive do you get while playing board games or party games?
Pretty competetive I guess, but it's important to not be a sore loser

5. What’s your favorite board game? What’s a board game you can’t stand?
Oh gosh I love Parcheesi and Trivial Pursuit. I hate Chess because I'm too dumb to get it.

She left the suds in the bucket and the clothes hangin out on the line

2011-05-04T14:28:00.000-07:00

My house is in a....well, it's in a state. You see I had this kidney thing happen last Friday on the last day the Viking was out of town. It was a pretty scary kidney thing, the kind where people assume you're in labor from all the pain you're having and they start to panic which oh hey, really helps YOU not to panic and your Viking Husband is somewhere between Minnesota and you and can't calm you down. Y'know that kind of kidney thing. Add to that the general ~~torture~~ discomfort of being 7.5 months pregnant, allergies that are trying to kill me and sweet, warm weather and I think everyone can understand things bein in a state around here.

But the worser (yes it's a word, don't argue with me, I'm a touch grinchy today) it gets, the less motivation I seem to find for dealing with it. Add to all that I've had company in the form of 3-4 kids who aren't mine and well, cleaning it up just seems sort of....futile. So I should be cleaning right now. Instead I got sucked into Jeopardy!, Great American Country videos and Friends reruns ~~which I've only seen 872 times~~.

But I promise...I promise I'm going to get up and deal with my state startin with some dishes, laundry and sweeping maybe...maybe, after Jeopardy!

....Then I'll need a nap because I'm growing a human and just the thought of sweeping makes me long for a nap.

"You can be sure that the American spirit will prevail over this tragedy."

2011-05-02T05:48:00.000-07:00

There are days in every generation that will be remembered forever. Older generations will always remember where they were when JFK was shot or when MLK was killed. My generation, as well as many others, will never ever forget where we were when those towers fell. I will never forget, either, where I was when I heard Saddam Hussein had been captured by American forces. And now I can add to that list, always remembering what I was doing when Osama Bin Laden was confirmed dead.

Over the weekend, American forces acquired intel that Osama Bin Laden was hiding out in Pakistan. They sent in a CIA team and a SEAL team and took him out. It's being reported that intel was acquired through tips from Gitmo. God bless our troops who keep us safe and who are able to carry out a mission like this. Also, God bless the victims from 9/11. We know that we can never ease your pain, but hopefully this monster's death provides some small measure of comfort.

I explained, a bit, to Stomp about what was going on. I kept it in simple, 7-year-old terms and we said an extra prayer for our troops and our leaders. He doesn't understand really, of course (for instance, he asked if Bin Laden would come back as a zombie and "is he as big as Devastator?"), but I felt it was important to share this day with him.

I've kept politics off this blog, largely, and I'm not going to get into it now. It doesn't matter who did what or who believes what. It just matters that a great threat to the American and Christian way of life has been eliminated. GOD BLESS THE U.S.A.

War has been waged against us by stealth and deceit and murder. This nation is peaceful, but fierce when stirred to anger. This conflict was begun on the timing and terms of others. It will end in a way, and at an hour, of our choosing.
-George W. Bush

Blue eyes cryin' in the early mornin rain

2011-04-29T17:07:00.000-07:00

Friday Five (P.S. I'm doing these in no particular order other than pickin the ones I like!)

1. What’s the worst thing about really bad rainstorms?
Muddy dogs

2. What’s the best thing about really bad rainstorms?
Thunder, that heavenly rain smell and that eerie greenish-gray look the sky gets

3. What’s your favorite (be honest!) way to pass the time when the power’s out?
Sitting outside on the porch

4. In what ways are you always prepared for a bad storm?
Candles, radio and water in the basement

5. What’s your favorite song with the word “rain” in the title?
Gary Allan "Songs about rain"

What's more adorable than a toothless grin?

2011-04-27T06:46:00.000-07:00

Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made

2011-04-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

1. What are your favorite kinds of flowers? Let me put it this way: I never met a flower I didn't like! I'm especially fond of daisies, daffodils, roses, peonies, bluebonnets and lilys These are my favorite pretties that grow in my yard:

They're "Pink Charm Daffodils" and The Viking calls them "the quintessential Erica flower" because they're "dainty and pretty and so charming".

2. Do you have any cut flowers in your home or office right now? What kinds?
Just some daffodils and tulips I pulled from the yard. Usually by now I have lilacs comin out my ears and the pretty, heavenly smell is filling the house. But this year, my lilacs have done terribly.

3. Are you growing/planting any live flowers inside or outside your home? What kinds and where?
Well I have a bed of daffodils and tulips that'll get a wildflower mix. I've also got a bed by the front door that's filled with hollyhocks and black eyed susans and white gooseneck. This year, on the opposite side of the door I'm putting in a new bed instead of the seating area that's there. I haven't decided what to put in yet but will probably do some sweet peas, some rudebeckia and some hydrangeas. I'll also do some lamb's ear and some lavender (despite never being able to get it to grow) and some various other herbs.

4. Which flowers do you associate with specific people, places, or events?
My Nany's daughter, Donna, always loved yellow roses. I always always think of her when I see a yellow rose.

5. When was the last time you were given flowers as a gift?
Well, a few years ago The Viking brought home the most beautiful bouquet of a dozen red roses. Since then, he's brought home (several times) wildflowers that he's picked on the side of the road. I daresay I like those even better than the beautiful red roses.

The Good Stuff

2011-04-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

It's been a truly wonderful weekend here on Ho-Hum Drive. Oh by all accounts, it shouldn't have been. I've caught a cold that I'm sure I picked up from Stomp. You see Stomp's super about remembering to cough into his elbow unless he's home sick snuggling Mama. Then he coughs into Mama's elbow...or hand...or mouth. So it was really no surprise I caught his cold. And I've been pretty miserable. But all that aside, it was a wonderful weekend.

Saturday we had a birthday party for one of the kiddos in the Trailerhood. My girlfriend Chelise has two girls who rock our boy-infested world. They are head over heels crazy about The Viking. And I guess they like me okay since they've decided to call me "Aunt Mamas". The story is that I'm like an aunt to them but I also look out for them and protect them and care for them when their Mama can't be around, so I'm like a mama too. Anyway, there was a birthday party for one of the little princesses and we had a great time. It's always wonderful to get together with friends who love you and who get you and who don't care that you're a) a little floopy from the cough syrup and b) hacking up a lung. The weather was beautiful and it just felt so nice to breathe in all that fresh air and all that unbridled, overflowing, incredible kid energy. It's good for the soul.

Unfortunately I may have overdone it a bit and I came home and fell asleep (yes at 7:00 p.m., don't judge me!). I spent the next 24 hours or so waking every 4 hours to take cough syrup and eat and then fall back asleep. Not the most exciting way to spend a Sunday but I got to be comforted and cared for by my Viking. I'm always touched and awed by the sweet way he tends to my every need when I'm sick. He's been like this as long as I can remember. In fact, when we were just 18, right after we'd moved in together, I came down with walking pneumonia. I spent a lot of nights up all night, sick and coughing and feverish. He spent a lot of nights up with me. It hasn't changed one bit all these years later. In the middle of the night when I'm awake and shaky and cold and coughing and flat out miserable, he always wakes up (at least partially) too. He reaches up and smooths my hair or rubs my neck or holds my hand or kisses the top of my head. And I am soothed and comforted and, I daresay, healed a bit of whatever ails me. There's incredible healing power in the touch of the man who loves you. Someone should bottle it and sell it as a miracle cure.

So anyway, I was under the weather and more than a little miserable but I was also loved and cared for and nursed. And while I'm still physically ill, my spirits are fine and my heart is full.

He said: "Spent five years in the bottle,
When the cancer took her from me.
But I've been sober three years now,
'Cause the one thing stronger than the whiskey:
Was the sight of her holdin' my baby girl.
The way she adored that string of pearls,
I gave her the day that our youngest boy, Earl,
Married his high school love."
An' it's a new tee-shirt saying: 'I'm a Grandpa'.
Bein' right there as our time got small,
An' holdin' her hand, when the Good Lord called her up,
Yeah, man, that's the good stuff."
- "The Good Stuff" -- Kenny Chesney

Simplicity is the nature of great souls

2011-04-14T06:48:00.000-07:00

Shooooey, what a difference a good night's sleep makes! I have spent several nights waking up at 1:00 a.m. worrying, throwing up, fretting, groaning in discomfort and generally being a big (emphases on big) pregnant baby. Nathan has been feverish at night and snarggly during the day and it all came to a head the night before last when he wound up in our bed at 4:00 a.m., a mere half hour after I'd finally fallen back asleep. Yesterday I kept him home and we took a long nap. When we finally woke up at ~~sunset~~ 1:00 in the afternoon, his fever was gone and he felt "a million, fillion" (his words) times better. I was at least resembling a human being, even if I didn't entirely feel like it. By last night, I was downright, flat out desperate for a good night's sleep. As such, I intended to pull out all the insomnia stops: hot tea, warm bath, yoga, massage, prayer and, as always, snuggles. That was the plan anyhow. All I wound up having the energy for was the yoga. But it's okay because last night, I fell asleep around 10:30 and got up only ONE time to pee! I slept clear through until almost (cue dramatic music) 7:00 a.m.! Tonight and tomorrow call for rain and thunder storms. I suspect I'll sleep even better.

In other, pregnancy related news, I think I'm nesting (already?!). I'm suddenly overcome with a strong desire to purge my house of everything I don't immediately need. I'll be heading upstairs to the ~~disaster area~~ baby's future room and getting rid of music, books, cds, decorative doo-dads and clothes I no longer need. Ebay, here I come! I'm right at the start of my 3rd trimester now and can't believe how fast this pregnancy has flown by. Sure I've been sick ~~all the flippin' time~~ a lot and it hasn't been easy, but good Lord I am a lucky girl to be havin this baby. And I love being pregnant.

More good has been accomplished by simple people seeking their own honest ends than by all the philanthropists in history. -Robert Brault

That quilt killed my paw!

2011-04-07T05:47:00.001-07:00

Me: (tossing and turning violently trying to get comfortable in bed)
Viking Mike: "Oh sure take all the covers"
Me: "I'm TRYING to get comfortable"
Viking Mike: (in a surly, raspy, John Wayne-ish voice) "This quilt ain't big enough for the two of us"

The quick and the pissed

2011-04-06T06:40:00.001-07:00

Overheard on Ho-Hum drive:

Me: Vin Diesel's got a new movie out y'know
Viking Mike: "Yeah another car movie...The quick and the pissed or something"

Love and pregnancy and riding on a camel

2011-04-05T05:33:00.000-07:00

I just have to be honest: There are so many things about pregnancy I just don't get. For instance, pregnancy insomnia. Whose bright idea was this lovely little side effect? I mean, isn't this when I need my sleep the most? But at least 3 days a week now, for the last several weeks, I've slept great from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. .... And that's it. What's really awesome is that I'm still experiencing ~~every day, all the time, nonstop~~ morning sickness and the nausea is really exacerbated by the constant fatigue. Not to even mention the migraines, body aches and grumpy-pants. I feel like I can't get anything done during the day because I'm so tired and trying to catch up on my sleep. And there's probably some school of thought that says something like: Oh if you're up all night you should try to avoid napping and stay up all day so you'll sleep great at night. There's just one little problem with that....it doesn't work. Then I'm tired and I can't sleep and now it's 3:00 a.m. and I haven't slept more than 3 hours in the last day or so and oooh boy does that make this Mama mad.

So I guess what I'm saying is this: I'm tired. As in, really really really tired. If you've tried to have an intelligent conversation with me in the last few weeks, I apologize. If you currently need me for some project, advice or other nonsense, I'm even more sorry. And if you're the baby currently living in my stomach, I just want to tell you this: Mama loves you, but you are so grounded when you come outta there.

This mess is a place!

2011-04-02T09:31:00.000-07:00

It's been a nice quiet weekend here on Ho-Hum Drive. Nathan played with the neighborhood boys last night and then spent the night at friend's house. The Viking and I watched Friends and ate popcorn and ice cream. This morning we watched a marathon of Larry the Cable Guy's "Only in America". Today the weather's going to cooperate for some yardwork and some major outdoor spring cleaning. Either the spring cleaning bug has bit me or I'm nesting early. Either way, the home is a happy, bright, clean place right about now! Today we'll be raking out flower beds and starting some seeds and tending to the gutters and storm windows.

All is well on the pregnancy front. The horrible, awful, miserable glucose test has been done and is over and the good news is that I do not have Gestational Diabetes this time around (despite the statistical chances that I would!). Joshua's been kicking like crazy and both The Viking and Stomp have enjoyed feeling his acrobatics! I've got about another 2 weeks and I'm out of my 2nd trimester already! Time to start thinkin about getting the moo-sery painted and decorated (still need a ton of furniture!) and ready to go! And time to start thinkin about the shower.

Otherwise, all is quiet and good. The Viking should start his second job next weekend and I've been cranking through my homework. I'm 75% of the way done with my course and hope, hope, hope to be working from home by June at the very latest. Nathan is doing very well in school and his parent/teacher conference went *awesome*. I'm so proud of my boy and how smart he is. But, I'm even more proud of the sweet and kind nature his teacher praised repeatedly! Attaboy Stomps!

There's things that matter and things that don't

2011-03-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

Pregnancy, as we all know, is a tangle of crazy emotions, hormones and downright insanity. So, today I bring you 10 Songs I Can't Listen To Without Crying Hysterically!

1. "Raymond"
Killer line - "There's a small white cross in Arlington, reads "Raymond Davis '71"..Until she can see his face again, I'm gonna fill in the best I can"

2. "This ain't nothin"
Killer line - "And last year I watched my lovin wife of 50 years waste away and die and I held her hand till her heart of gold stopped pumpin"

3. "Tough"
Killer line - "She wore that wig to church, pink ribbon pin there on her shirt. No room for fear, full of faith, hands held high singin Amazing Grace"

4. "If you're reading this"
Killer line - "I won't be there to see the birth of our little girl. I hope she looks like you. I hope she fights like me, stands up for the innocent and the weak"

5. "A little bit stronger"
Killer line - "It doesn't happen overnight, but you turn around and a month's gonna by and you realized you haven't cried. Not giving you an hour or a second or another minute longer. I'm busy gettin stronger" (P.S. Does anyone else hope when they get to Heaven the angels sound just like Sara Evans?)

6. "Wish you were here"
Killer line - "She got a call that night but it wasn't from him. It didn't sink in right away. "Ma'am the plane went down, our crews have searched the ground, no survivors found" she heard him say. But somehow she got a postcard in the mail"

7. "Three wooden crosses
Killer line - "That's the story that our preacher told last Sunday, as he held that blood stained bible up for all of us to see. He said "bless the farmer and the teacher and the preacher, who gave this bible to my Mama who read it to me"

8. "If Heaven wasn't so far way"
Killer line - "I'd find my long lost cousin John, the one we left back in Vietnam, show him a picture of his daughter now. She's a doctor and he'd be proud. Then tell him we'd be back in a couple of days. In the rear-view mirror we'd all watch them wave. Yeah and losin them wouldn't be so hard to take, if Heaven wasn't so far away"

9. "Why does somebody always have to die" -- No video for this one :(
Killer line - "Well he tried to tell them about the life eternal but they just wouldn't believe. And he said, "Father won't you please forgive them" as they nailed Him to the tree"

10. "Everything that glitters is not gold"
Killer line - "Little Casey, she's still growin and she's started asking questions. And there's certain things a man just doesn't know. Her birthday came and you never even called. I guess we never even cross your mind"

Love hasn't ever felt better

2011-03-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

Nathan was sick a couple of days last week with a pretty nasty cough. I kept him home 2 days in the middle of the week and when it seemed like he was doing better, I sent him back to school. Yesterday around 9 a.m. I got a call from the school saying he had complained that his heart was hurting in reading and the teacher took him into the nurse where they discovered he was running a fever of 103 (and I'd given him a cough/cold medication that morning that had Tylenol in it!). I rushed up to get him (thankful that I'm a stay at home mama who can do that) and then ran him up to the doc. He complained a lot of burning eyes and sore muscles and just general yuck-ed-ness. The dr diagnosed him with Bronchitis and prescribed some super ~~fun~~ powerful medications. It's a bummer, but he is really at his funniest when he's ~~loaded~~ medicated on motrin and cough syrup. So today we had him help us with some very basic stuff as we worked on moving our bed (temporarily) closer to the bathroom. That brings you this edition of Overheard on Ho-Hum Drive:

Nathan (plopping down tired in a chair after helping us pick up his toys): "Phew Mama, this is the life!" (glad to know you like chores Bubba, will remember that the next time you complain).

Nathan (looking around our 108 year old house): "Our house is pretty rustic. It's kind of cricket (I can only assume he meant crickety) and falling apart."

I have no idea where he gets word like "rustic" and "absurd" but I'm thankful for his funny observations! Tonight we have planned a pajama party where we'll play games and watch movies and eat popcorn. He's deeply disappointed we had to miss dinner with the Trailerhood because of his sickness. He's on the mend now, but still not 100%. He's been napping and coughing and his fever continues to creep up. I've been giving him motrin and cough syrup and schmearing Vicks on his chest. And of course, snuggling him every spare second of every day. He hates the Vicks and insists it's "so so so so stinky". But my Nany always used it when I was sick and I think it helps, so I told him to "cowboy up". He finally admitted it makes it easier for him to breathe.

"I brought children into this dark world because it needed the light that only a child can bring."
-Liz Armbruster

Good fathers make good sons

2011-03-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

“Every father should remember that one day his son will follow his example instead of his advice”

You are the best thing that's ever been mine

2011-03-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my Viking's birthday. Like me, he shares a birthday with one of his parents so it was also Grandpa John's bday. We kept it very low-key as I prepared for Stomp's birthday today. Usually I do a birthday dinner and a cake for both boys. This year, being so pregnant, I was lucky I got anything done for anyone. Lucky for me, The Viking just thinks it's pretty cool I'm making another of his babies, so he didn't care what we did! So we had to go food and he'll have some of the leftover cupcakes from Nathan's school party! I'm so thankful for the day my Viking was born. All the things that I treasure in my life are a direct result of being Mrs. The Viking.

Today is Nathan's birthday. I can't believe it was 7 years ago I was in a hospital room in Albuquerque having a c-section and bringing this sweet child into the world. Having that boy brought to realization all of my hopes and dreams to be a housewife and be the very best Mama I could be. Today as I carried cupcakes into his classroom, he was stopped by many friends and teachers wishing him a Happy Birthday. It made me smile down deep in my soul to realize how well-liked he is and how this is a direct result of his warm, loving and kind personality. Tonight we'll have spaghetti for supper and more cupcakes. The big shindig, of course, is planned for this weekend when we will be having a dinosaur party.

Happy birthday to BOTH my boys! I love you both so much, thank you for making me a complete woman!

Girls with old fashioned ways

2011-03-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I love to sew and that I value the things that are simple and sometimes, yes, downright mundane. So when I heard from my Mama friends that all their kids had gigantic holes in the knees of all their jeans, I decided I'd help out. I picked up the pants from the Mama-Friends and sat down yesterday to tackle my chore. At one point I said, "sorry sweetie, I have a stack of mending to get to".

......

I'll just pause to let that sink in.

No matter how you say that, it makes you sound a little...well...(don't be offended older readers)....old. Certainly not 30 years old.

I laughed last night as I recounted this story to my Jersey Mama. She thought it was funny but added this, "you remind me so much of my Grandma, my dad's mom. She kept a neat house and loved to sew and cook and she always would put us kids in her lap and hold us and take care of us. You remind me of her". I think that's the first time I've ever really heard stories about this Great Grandma of mine that I never had the pleasure to know. But I love that I may resemble someone in my family with my old fashioned, home-making ways. My aunts and my mom are all powerful career women and I'm...well, not. I like it that way and I wouldn't change a thing but I've never heard of anyone else in my family taking the same path I have and to hear my mom say I reminded her of my Great Grandma touched me and gave me a very real connection to my family, even those I don't know.

I never have an idle day,
New ideas come my way.
Don't know yet what I'll create,
But my imagination's great.

WUBS

2011-03-10T07:04:00.000-08:00

A picture of me and The Viking from Valentine's Day! (P.S. I've been experimenting with Picnik. I love the color options!)

All the fights and the tears and the heartache
I thought I'd never get through
And the moment I almost gave up
All lead me here to you
I didn't understand it way back when
But sitting here right now it all makes perfect sense
For every stoplight I didn't make
Every chance I did or I didn't take
All the nights I went too far
All the girls that broke my heart
All the doors that I had to close
All the things I knew but I didn't know
Thank God for all I missed
Cause it led me here to
This
-"This" --Darius Rucker

You Must Not Know 'Bout Me

2011-03-05T17:13:00.000-08:00

10 things I bet you didn't know about me:

1. I long, down deep in my soul, to own a pajama store.
2. I don't eat spaghetti sauce on my spaghetti.
3. I think my adorable feet are one of my best features.
4. Back in the day (which was a Wednesday, by the way), long before I was a right-wing extremist, I was a liberal, leftist, environmentalist. That all changed because of 9/11.
5. When I was growing up I wanted to be a barrel racer. Still do, actually.
6. My adorable feet are so small I can, and frequently do, buy my shoes in the kid's section.
7. I hate mashed potatoes.
8. The Viking and I began dating when I was just 15 years old and he was only 17.
9. I'm allergic to plum-near everything...all weeds, most grasses, most trees, eggs, cats, dogs, cockroaches, dust and mold. Not taking my allergy medication this pregnancy has been a real bummer.
10. I've seen every single episode of Friends at least 3 times. I don't know a single person who can beat me at Friends trivia, but you're welcome to try if you'd like!

I call that real

2011-02-28T18:26:00.000-08:00

1. The Jammin for Josef benefit was Saturday night. They raised a sizable sum of money for the family and everyone had a good time. The Viking got to do vocals on a song and we got to hang with some of our very dear friends. You can watch the news footage of the event here.

2. The Viking made it home from his business trip okay last week. It was horrible and awful and I missed him so very badly. If he never has to go out of town for work again it'll be too soon.

3. 21 weeks pregnant and my next OB appointment is tomorrow. Still dealing with nausea but the real problem now is the sciatica/hip pain that's keeping me up all the live long night. We'll be having a little chat with the doctor about that.

4. Tonight we had a simple dinner of frozen pot pies and a Kid's Cuisine tv dinner. We sat around the table and talked about Nathan's class, his teacher, presidents and Dr Seuss. Then we whipped out the Wii and played some team MarioKart. Nathan and I are terrible at it but we don't care. We still squeal with laughter and delight. At one point we explained that when Nathan lived in Mama's belly, we used to put that on and play it at night. He laughed and said "yeah, and I'd be in your belly sayin, "mama?! is that MarioKart out there?!" I laughed so hard my belly hurt.

5. We're working on plans for a dino-themed party for Stomp's bday (although, after tonight he kinda wants a MarioKart bday). He came up with some fun and creative dino games to play and I think it's really going to be a blast.

That's important to me

2011-02-23T06:45:00.000-08:00

When I was a little girl, I was (still am actually) chubby and bespectacled and shy and not-very-hip and not-very-popular. I was picked on so very much. One of the "best" places for all this teasing and cruelty was on the horrible 45 minute bus ride to and from school. When we decided to have children and it became clear I was going to stay home, I never wanted Nathan to ride the bus. We, of course, knew when we were pregnant with Stomp that we'd be leaving that hate-infested craphole called Albuquerque and moving to the Utopia of Nebraska ("The Good Life" indeed!), but I definitely didn't want Nathan to be on the bus anyway. Sure, it's an emotional reaction and believe me, almost everyone has given me a hard time about my decision. Nonetheless, my little boy is not going to spend his ride to school being teased or made fun of or flat out bullied*. By taking him to school, I have control over the last interactions he has before he steps into a learning environment. I know he's walking into school feeling loved and empowered and confident. I know he's heading in there with positive interactions on his plate along with a heaping side dish of kisses, hugs and "I love you"s. These things not only strengthen him and prepare him for learning, they strengthen him for dealing with teasing, whether it happens to him or someone else. I feel better knowing that even if someone were to pick on him, he'd be able to let it roll off his back, to a certain degree, because he's wrapped up in love and praise.

Besides all that good (and important) stuff, I treasure the times I get to take him to and from school. It's one of those snapshots you could take of my day that would sum up my life. Getting Nathan ready (though most mornings it's crazy, despite my best efforts! I hate you One-Glove-Disease!) and being able to drive him to school where I can hug and kiss him as he gets out of the car is a cherished part of my routine. When I pick him up after school, I usually have the option of showing up a little early and watching the kids play on the playground at their last recess. I take a book and a cup of tea and I have a few quiet moments to myself to read. I catch Nathan as the excitement of the day starts to settle down. I ask questions about his day and it's all still fresh in his mind. I get to laugh with him over his highs and hug away his lows. I've met other parents (including my very own Nikki) and gotten to know the teachers and the staff. I get to see and interact with his friends (many of whom will run over and hug me) and I just get to be plugged in. It truly is a wonderful and blessed life.

**I have no idea if this kind of thing goes on in Nebraska, but I assume it happens everywhere.

Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs in my field, since the payment is pure love.
-Mildred B. Vermont

A brother is a friend given by Nature

2011-02-16T17:34:00.000-08:00

Mama is currently down with Bronchitis and a sinus infection. I told Nathan I'd gone to the doctor and he told me what was wrong. In a very concerned and troubled voice he said, "What about Joshie? Is Joshie okay? Does Joshie have a sinus infection?" I said, "No babe, Joshie is just fine". Nathan said "oh PHEW!" He's very concerned about his brother's health these days. Clearly goin to be a great big brother.

"Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero."
-Marc Brown

Heard somewhere that you moved on

2011-02-13T19:48:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those days. It was simply lovely weather, for one. Right around 62 or so. I wore capris, left my feet bare and threw open the windows in a fit of joy. I spent time baking, for another. This morning, in preparation for tonight's Trailerhood Gathering, I made French Silk Pie from scratch. It was beyond heavenly.

Then, of course, tonight we got together with the rest of the Trailerhood** for supper and laughter and good ole hick fun. We ate great, as we always do, and the kids had fun playing. I'm so thankful for good friends who make every gathering feel like something so special.

So the highlight of the evening was when Nathan farted and cleared the room of all the kids. He got extremely upset. I got him calmed down and he came into the living room with the adults who all told him how awesome it was that his farts can clear a room. These are the same people who called me a redneck last week...Hey pot? It's kettle, you're black!

Anyway, tomorrow is Valentine's Day and I hope you all find someone to love up on. I know we're planning on a silly day of movies and Hershey's kisses and "puppy" valentine cards!

**The Trailerhood refers to our gathering of friends. There's 4 families and we try to get together once a week for dinner. It winds up being around 14 people or so and it's always such a wild and hick-crazy time!

You're my strength when I grow weary

2011-02-07T19:34:00.000-08:00

Last night The Viking and I went to a Super Bowl Party, of sorts. What it really was was dinner with our friends with lots of hootin' and hollerin' and general redneck rough-house-ery! There was giggling and light hearted, loving, teasing and great food.

To be honest, my favorite part of these events is always the sincerely sweet way The Viking treats me. There's always a lot of laughter, of course, but he's always very affectionate with me even in front of other people. Last night, for instance, we put our socks-ed feet up on this giant ottoman and Viking Mike, for some reason, got the idea to intertwine my toes with his. After several minutes like this, he leaned over and whispered in my ear, "look babe, we're holding toes!". I feel like this might be toooo cheesy if I saw it in a movie but it's my actual life and the sweet, tender way my husband really treats me after alllll these years together. Life is good today, indeed.

Anywho, I thought I'd give y'all a little belly shot. This is me at 18 weeks, a mere 2 days before my ultrasound!

Where you lead me, I will go
I will stand strong beside you,
No matter how hard the wind might blow
Our love will last forever, like this diamond on my hand
Cause I was born to be your woman, and you were made to be my man
-"Born To Be Your Woman" --Joey and Rory