Our Conversation This Morning:

Steven: Morning!
Märia: Morning! Hey, did you come to bed at 3am last night?
Steven: Yes.
Märia: Did you fall asleep on the couch?
Steven: No.
Märia: Did you stay up late doing your homework?
Steven: No.
Märia: Were you playing a game?
Steven: No.
Märia: What were you doing?
Steven: Watching a movie.
Märia: In the middle of the night? *pause to think that over a bit* OH NO YOU DIDN’T!!!!! YOU WENT TO SEE THE MIDNIGHT SHOWING OF ECLIPSE WITHOUT ME?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

And to top it off, Steven actually re-read the whole series in the past month just to get prepped for it. I went to see it this afternoon, thoroughly enjoyed, but I really think it’d be hard to follow the movies without having read the book(s). I am totally team Edward all the way baby, but I understand Team Jacob if all you’re going off of is the movies since Bella and Jacob had much better on-screen chemistry.

Anyways, go see it!!!!

The song that played during the ending credits.

So You’d Like to Be a Type A Parent

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Actually I don’t know how to help you there. I don’t feel I’m really a true Type A or Type B Personality. Anywho, I’ve been looking for workbooks for Felicity that are age appropriate and actually grab her attention. The majority of preschool workbooks are actually meant for 3 or 4 year olds and don’t work on Felicity’s level. She doesn’t care for them as they are over her head and just frustrate her. I was at Borders a couple of days ago and picked up these gems. The first two are actually meant for 2 year olds!!! And Felicity thought it was the coolest thing that she got a school work that she actually understood. She had a blast, she did like 15 pages! If you happen to have a 2 year old, pick these up! I tried to find them online to tell you guys, but couldn’t find them. Only $3.99 in the Border’s clearance section.

Since I Worked on Mother’s Day, It Only Seemed Fair that Steven Would Work on Father’s Day (ie He Can’t Censor What I Write, hehe)

I know on Father’s Day you’re suppose to write a flowery post about the wonderful fathers in you life, but I’m at the end of my rope with my little monsters and the fact that my Dad didn’t like my Father’s Day gift really ticked me off. I offered him my children for good as a gift and he thought I was kidding. Darn it. That means I’m stuck with them for another 13.5 and 15.5 years respectively. As soon as they hit 18, I’m kicking them to the curb.

Hopefully the next so many years don’t sound like yesterday: Seporah was repeatedly bugging Felicity while they were in the car. Felicity was repeatedly screaming. I pull the car over and in my meanest mean mommy voice say, “Don’t touch your sister! Don’t poke your sister! Don’t hit your sister! Don’t kick your sister! Don’t touch her toy! Don’t take away her toy! Don’t pretend to hit your sister! Don’t put your hand in her face! Don’t pinch your sister! Do you understand?!?!?!”
“yes.”
Good, start driving again and not 5 seconds later Felicity starts screaming again. “WHAT?!?! DID YOU HIT YOUR SISTER?”
“no.”
“DID YOU KICK YOUR SISTER?”
“no.”
etc, etc, no to everything.
“THEN WHY IS SHE SCREAMING?!?!”
“I poked her chair.”

The people who say “Be grateful, these are the best years of your life” either have really lousy memories or have much more obedient children than ours. The longer we have the girls, the more amazed I am that my brothers and I made it to adulthood without being killed by our parents. I mean there were FOUR of us, that’s twice as many as we have. Sibling rivalry drives me absolutely bonkers, I’m amazed MY girls aren’t dead yet.

So thank you Dad for not killing any of us and keeping us around for 18+ years. I really appreciate that all of us made it, even though you had 3 boys so there’d be spares.

Thanks for finally taking me to the emergency department when my appendix ruptured. If you hadn’t I would have never lived long enough to fully appreciate a nursery with raisins ground into the carpet that reeks of poopy diapers.

Thanks for teaching me how to drive. If you hadn’t I’d never know the joy of listening to my little monsters fighting with each other in the back seat while I tried to make a left turn.

Thanks for teaching me how to tie my shoes. It’d be difficult to chase after the girls with me tripping over my laces.

Thanks for teaching me how to read. It’s really come in handy for the 28th reading of Olivia Goes to the Park.

Thanks for teaching me to never talk to strangers. As far as my children are concerning, catering to their every whim is far more important than developing a social life anyway.

Thanks for teaching me to sing off key. You get no awards for singing The Itsy Bitsy Spider on key anyways.

Thanks for teaching me about the Strike Zone. Between work, school and children, you’re never gonna find the energy to do it anyways.

Thanks for teaching me the true value of a nap. Now if I could just have the opportunity to appreciate one.

Sorry for all those times when I was little that I annoyed the hell out of you. I’ve got my comeuppance: grandchildren.

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Baby Märia, Mommy Pam, Toddler Russell and Daddy Russ

My Rhyming Weekend Review:

Toy Story 3, fun for Moms and Tots!

Sesame Street Live, totally NOT!

Seriously though, if you don’t have a kid, borrow one and go see Toy Story 3. Really worth it. I know it’s a sequel’s sequel and those normally suck, but this one was really good. The bad guy gave me goosebumps. Ken was introduced (to Barbie that is) and that whole interaction had me bursting at the seams. Oh! Oh! and Buzz Lightyear goes on Spanish mode and that had me laughing so hard I was crying. They stole liberally from The Brave Little Toaster, but since I LOVED that movie, I was a-ok with it. The girls were mesmerized by the whole thing (except for the scary trash, that part was pretty scary and Seporah was REALLY worried). I’ve never taken the girls to see a movie twice in theaters, but I’m thinking about taking them again with Steven in a couple of weeks, since we enjoyed it so much and he didn’t see it.

And the sucky one: The girl’s read lots of Sesame Street books, but have never seen the show, so mainly the only characters they knew were Elmo, Cookie Monster and Big Bird (and Cookie Monster’s costume was so scary, I didn’t even recognize him). Seporah looked bored to tears and kept asking to go home (in all honesty I was kinda right up there with her). And EVERY time Elmo stepped off the stage, Felicity freaked out, Where’s Elmo? Where’s Elmo?!?! I kept on saying he had to pee-pee in the potty, then Felicity got smart and said she had to go. I told her she wouldn’t see Elmo there though because Elmo goes in the boy bathroom. Not worth the time or money.

I’m Doubting Being an Ace of Base Fan Wins Me Any Cool Points… Although the Lady Gaga Fan Part Might In Some Circles

At 9 years old, I think Ace of Base was the first band that I really got into. In fact all 3 of my brothers and I could be found singing All That She Wants and The Sign at the top of our lungs (although I doubt any of my brothers would admit that fact now). I still listen to them every now and then just like the closet dork you may or may not know I am.

About a month ago, I’m listening to the radio and who comes on but Ace of Base (and I’m not on the “Oldies” station that Steven talked about a couple of days ago). It seems the white wonderbread band has got a little Mexican spice thrown in as the song I’d never heard starts talking about various Hispanic men. I think it’s a little weird, but then again I forget the Hispanic population is increasing exponentially in almost every other state in the US. Here, it would be of more worth to speak Chuk or Laos than Spanish. Spanish will get you nowhere. They don’t come here since you know they can’t get here in the back of lemon. **

Anyways, I get all excited as a new song means a new CD. Yippee! Go home and look it up. It’s totally not even Ace of Base, but Lady Gaga. I totally laughed out loud. That woman has more faces than a pair of D&D dice has sides.

**BTW, that was totally a joke. I really don’t care about illegal immigration. Just don’t get my husband started on it.

National Guard at the range

So I just qualified at the range on a SAW (big gun) for the first time.  The range is so laid back here.  As I was firing I heard music to my left and music to my right as guardsmen rocked to their phones and ipods while they fired.  We only had to wear helmets and vests if we were actually firing instead of all day.  Only sucky part is the guys who were never active can’t shoot!

Sent on the go from my Palm Pre