Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Busy busy and OH, I can't walk

So the next 24 hours are going to be very busy. Plus I'm sooo freakin sore from aerobics on Monday, that I can hardly walk. AND, to punish myself further, I'm off to another aerobics class in 30 min. Oh, let's not forget 1 week from today my sister comes into town.

To give you a brief idea exactly how busy I'm going to be in the next 24 hours here is a brief list of things that I have to do.

Go to the gym
Clean the house
Finish laundry
Mail adoption portfolio's to agency
Run to liquor store for weekend hydration
Paint the bathroom
Pack David and I for our weekend away
Find the dog leashes and vaccination forms
Do something with the stew meat that I took out of the freezer 2 days ago
Make sure that M has all of his stuff for his weekend in Chicago
Take M to the airport at 6am tomorrow
Go to Casey's house for playgroup
Take dogs to kennel
Get our stuff in the car
Pack D into the car
Drive to Puyallup for weekend away

THEN when I return on Sunday, I need to be sure to finish painting the bathroom so M can lay the floor on Monday & Tuesday night, so we can at least have a toilet on the first floor when my sister and Mom are visiting.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Daddy's can do no wrong

D is a total daddy's boy. Which is fine with me when M is home - it gives me a break. However, it becomes frustrating when D will do things only for daddy. Such as eating food. He'll eat and try all sorts of food for Daddy, but when Mommy asks, begs and pleads - no way!! Broccoli for example, D gobbles it up for Daddy, but when Daddy isn't home and I give it to him, forget it. He won't eat it. Grrrrrrr!! D won't even put it in his mouth to try it. Tonight D even tried roasted chicken, he promptly spit it out, but he tried it because Daddy asked him to.

It's always interesting around here when Daddy travels - this week will be very interesting. M is gone all week until next Monday. UGH. D may survive on Mac N Cheese, yogurt, pancakes and an occasional pea.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Holding a grudge, give me a break!

Just after moving here I joined an online mom's group and met some great friends. Well, a group of us broke off from the giant moms group and started our own group (we still are members of the large group too). Yes, we're a little more outgoing than others and we like to get together and have fun. We're wild, but we're also great mom's who care about our kids and each other.

Just before our smaller group formed, another group of women broke from the main group and called themselves the OG's (Original Group). Several of my friends tried to join that group, but were turned down. OK, no biggie, so we formed our own group. Mix alcohol with a bunch of women and we get catty. We started calling them the OG'ers (Ogre's). Blah blah blah....lots of back and forth happened between the two groups - emails and such. Yes, we all were acting like kids and it did get old and petty.

That was at least 4-5 months ago. AT LEAST!! My small group disbanded and 1/2 the group left, but many of my friends remained and we started yet another group. The people who were negative forces are gone and the group is even stronger. A few weeks ago I realized that I haven't played bunco in months, so I planned a very very large bunco game with the Large mom's group and my small group combined. I did notice that the OG's all replied no - fine, I just figured that they had another MNO planned that evening.

I found out today that they did not have anything planned, but instead have decided not to attend any events that my small group is hosting. WHAT?!! Get over it!! It was months ago and yes, things got out of control, but really I think the last time we really even talked about the OG's was in September. I guess I don't understand how people can hold grudges. I don't get it. Life is too short and filled with too many possibilities to hold a grudge.

I would really love to sit together with the OG's and discuss any bad feelings people still harbor. Get it all out and REALLY be done with it. I'm done with it....it was fun at the time, but really, it's done. I want what's best for my son and I want to have friends who support and love me. I have that with my various Mom's groups. Thank goodness.

Shinier hair?

While in the shower this morning, I notice that my Pantene conditioner huge bold lettering - 85% shinier hair Huh? Shinier than what? And it doesn't say whether it's 85% shinier after 1 use or if it's after using the whole bottle. If it's a daily shine, then tomorrow my hair will be 85% shinier than it was today? Assuming that the bottle of conditioner lasts 30 days, does that mean my hair will be 2,550% shinier than when I started?!! OMG!! I wasn't good at math, so my calculations may be off.

People, this means that my blond hair may be brighter than the sun. I'm begging and pleading with all of you - please wear your sunglasses when you are around me - even indoors. I certainly do not want to be responsible for eye damage. AND, if we are outside when the sun is shining, please apply sunblock to the side of your body I'm standing on. This way the reflective rays of the sun off my super shiny hair do not cause a sunburn.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Haircut Hell

D just HATES having his haircut. Hates it!! His first haircut was fine and happy, but since then it's a nightmare. I've been taking him down into Portland to Castle Kids Cuts, but a friend recommended trying Little Clippers. They're closer.

I called them first thing this morning and SURPRISE they had openings today! Just so happened that I didn't make aerobics class this morning, so I prepped for the journey. No need to find a "clean" shirt to wear b/c D is just going to cry and get boogies ALL over it. So, I opted for a semi-clean shirt - it had been warn before, but no visible stains. I told D that we were going to get a haircut today and he was not happy before we even left the house. I decided to leave early b/c Clackamas mall is right there, so I wanted to do some shopping prior to hell.

The ENTIRE way to the mall, D could not stop with the "no haircut". 20 min of that - see previous post regarding my son driving me up the wall with repeating the same thing over and over.

The minute we walked into the door of the haircut place, he started crying. Didn't matter that there were TONS of toys to play with, he cried and got anxious. After 30 sec. of panic, he did play for a bit...du du duuuuuuummmm...the moment of truth. His name is called. I take his hand and lead him gently and gleefully to the wide variety of various cars, boats or airplanes that he can sit in - he wants none of it. The tears start flowing.

Being experienced at D's waterworks, I didn't just bring the box of kleenex as I have in the past, but this time a hand towel!! My child doesn't just shed a few small tears, liquid flows freely from every orifice! Soon the towel is soaked as is the entire front of my shirt. Being an experienced child hairstylist, Lalita whips out a clean dry towel for me....and we've only trimmed the hair around his ears. "A lot of kids cry" she says. "Yes, I know" is all I can manage to sigh.

Less than 15 min later, covered in snot, tears and hair I can release D from my grip and begin to wipe him down. Normally, I am REALLY smart and bring another shirt for him and me to change into, but it was sitting on the dining room table (I forgot to grab them)....see yesterday's post regarding putting me into a home.

So another haircut done. 2-3 months from now, I'll relive this experience again.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Find me a home, quick!!

While I know that I'm one of the oldest among my friends, but I really thought that forgetting EVERYTHING would happen years and years from now. So, my friends, it's time to find me a "home" that will accept a 38yo with alzheimers and a 2.5yo. Yes, I must take D with me to this new home.

So, here is my story of forgetting everything. In the span of 4 days, I have forgotten 2 vet appointments AND my wallet. I scheduled Dakota's yearly vaccinations for late afternoon on Valentines Day - 4:15 to be exact. Totally forgot about it. Not because I had BIG VD plans, in fact, at that very moment I was dropping off cake books to a friend for her to look through. UGH! So I rescheduled for the next day. I didn't forget this appt and manged to remember to schedule Oreo to get a vaccination so I can board her in 2 weeks. I was very diligent and wrote down the appt. in my calendar. The Vet asked if I wanted a reminder card "NOOOOO!" I replied. "I have it written down right here in my 'bible', 3:15 Monday."

Uh-huh. All weekend long, I kept saying "Oreo has a vet appt. 3:30 on Monday". I'm actually 1-2 min early to the vet today and extremely proud. Only to hear, "Oh, you're here!"
"yep" I reply "3:30 on the nose."
"well" the receptionist replies "your appt was scheduled at 3:15"
"really?"
"yes, we don't schedule appts on the 1/2 hours"

So I dig in my purse to find my 'bible' and turn bright red with shame. In bold lettering on the date Feb. 18, it states Oreo 3:15. UGH!!!

2 times in less than 1 week I've forgotten a vet appt. No problems though, they give her the vaccine and we're ready to go.

EXCEPT!!!

As I reach into my purse for my wallet....no wallet....none. I find a change purse, pack of gum, various receipts, and several tubes of Carmex. DOH! I took my wallet out of my purse this morning and put it into my gym bag when I went to workout. I apologize profusely and state that I'll be right back. Thank goodness that the vet is just down the street.

I load Oreo into the car and head off towards home. In the mean time, I think - GREAT, now I can stop by the grocery store on my way home (for the 2nd time) and get something for dinner. I drop Oreo off, grab my wallet and head back to the vet. I pay the vet and get into my car and head home.

DOH!! I get all the way to my subdivision entrance when I remember that I was going to run into the grocery store to find something for dinner. UGH!! I give up.

I'm just going to find a cave and go live in it. However, I will probably forget what I'm looking for when I get to where ever caves may be found. So, if you don't see a blog from me in a while, it's b/c I've forgotten that I've started one.

BTW - we had McD's for dinner.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Potty woe's

You'd think that this was going to be a blog about the woe's of potty training, nope, you are wrong. This is big people potty woe's. The kind that only a man can create.

We've had plans to remodel the downstairs bathroom for months and months, but the affordability has been the issue. Tell that to M. 2 weeks ago, he decided to rip out the vanity. So we haven't had a sink in the bathroom for weeks and I can't tell you how many times I've been stranded w/out any TP. I've had to waddle to the closet across from the bathroom to grab a new roll. I've now become accustom to checking the roll status prior to using the facilities. I've asked repeatedly for him to work on the bathroom, only to land on deaf ears. M hasn't even ordered the new vanity - which takes 3-4 weeks to arrive.

This afternoon, M started to rip out the floor. Easier said than done. The builder stapled particle board on top of the sub floor. We need to rip out the particle board in order to lay the wood floor and have it be the same height as the rest of the house. Not only is this floor a particle board, but it's stapled into the sub floor every 3 inches!! OMG!!

After a couple of hours of pounding on a crowbar, and my head pounding and ears ringing, M has about 1/2 of the floor up and many blisters on his hands. "I'm done for the day" he announced! WHAT!!??? I still only have a toilet in the room (it does work, so thank God for small miracles), but now 1/2 the floor is ripped out. Now please realize, it's Sunday. M will probably not work on this bathroom again until next Sunday - depending on skiing conditions.

ALSO, I have my sister and mom coming to visit in 2.5 weeks!! I'd like the bathroom to, well, look decent.

Friday, February 15, 2008

You are not allowed to turn 3!!

I've made an executive decision, D is not allowed to turn 3. Nope, not allowing this to happen. In the past few days I've heard from a few friends that their children have completely changed (not for the greater good) the DAY of their 3rd birthday.

We all know that 3 is the new 2, just as 40 is the new 30. As one approaching 40, I'm not so sure about this....anyways, I have decided that 2.5yo is hard enough, and if D is going to change dramatically on his 3rd birthday, well, he just can't turn 3. We have enough tantrums and drama in the house already, I really don't want these to increase in volume or frequency.

Perhaps there is a POOF button to skip over those times. Or, maybe a commune I can send him to. In the mean time, I'll just drop him off on the doorsteps of my friends houses, ring the doorbell and RUN!! You can find me at the nearest bar having some liquid refreshments. Oh, don't worry, I'll return....eventually.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Update to Eyebrow waxing post....

The following was emailed to me via my sister. I thought it was worthy of it's own spot in my blog:

Tina's sister respectfully submits that she does, indeed, have her (also blonde and less-than-blog-worthy) brows professionally waxed. But it seems like an enormous waste of money. However, the cost is justified because she is already sitting in the chair anyway...having her upper lip attended to! No whiskery "walrus" impressions allowed after the age of 21...


It is apparent that my hearing is indeed fading as I get older. Sorry Karen for the misprint in my previous blog.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

The modern conveniences

What would life be like without all the gadgets and conveniences we have now? Could I actually cope in the "real world"? I doubt it.

First, cell phone. OMG!! Even the quick drive to the grocery store would feel like it was hours if I didn't have my cell phone to talk to SOMEONE while driving. I couldn't imagine not being able to call someone up and immediately tell them what was on my mind rather than thinking "ok, I've got to remember to call so-and-so to RSVP". I'd always be "that person" who shows up to gatherings when I actually didn't RSVP.

N - I don't know how you survive not having a cell phone!! However, I do think that it's time you move into the year 2008.

Online bill pay! Absolutely love the fact I can pay everything from my computer! No writing checks then addressing envelopes to have them sit on the desk for weeks b/c you can't find or remember to buy stamps. I haven't had a late payment for ANYTHING since we've started paying online.

Microwaves. I'd starve. Maybe that would be a good thing b/c I'd not want to cook things to eat the "old fashioned" way. I couldn't even tell you how to reheat anything via stovetop. Plus, reheating in the microwave saves sooo much time. Maybe I'm eating less b/c of microwaves. I guess that if I had to reheat food via stovetop, I'd be more inclined to snack during that process.

Now, the only thing that I'm really missing in my life is the POOF button. The POOF button will allow you to press it and your "wish" will come true. "I want a clean house" POOF - you're house is clean. The POOF button will also allow you to travel from one place to another - like Star Trek. Beam me up Scotty. No need to worry that you're running late - you can leave at 7:59am for your 8am meeting across town or even across the country. hmmmmmm - oh to dream.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

The Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest According To Jeff Foxworthy:

1. You know the state flower (Mildew).

2. You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.

3. Use the statement 'sun break' and know what it means.

4. You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.

5 You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.

6. You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant or to church.

7. You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the 'WALK'
signal.

8. You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it's
not a real mountain.

9. You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle's Best, and
Veneto's.

10 . You know the difference between Chinook, Coho and Sockeye salmon.

11. You know how to pronounce Sequim, P uyallup, Haceta, Yaquina, Yachats, Issaquah, Oregon, Yakima and Willamette.

12. You consider swimming an indoor sport.

13. You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food.

14. In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark
while only working eight-hour days.

15. You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.

16. You are not fazed by ' Today's forecast: showers followed by rain,'
and 'Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers.'

17. You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.

18. You know that Boring is a town in Oregon and not just a state of
mind.

19. You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see
through the cloud cover.

20. You notice, 'The mountain is out' when it is a pretty day and you
can actually see it.

21. You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but still
wear your hiking boots and parka.

22. You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60, but keep the socks
on.

23. You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.


24. You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists.

25. You buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old
ones after such a long time.

26. You measure distance in hours.

27. You often switch from 'heat' to 'a/c' in the same day.

28. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.

29. You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, winter, Still
Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer), Deer & Elk season (Fall).

30. You understood these jokes and will probably forward them....

Nephew Shawn update

Quick background info for those not in the "know".
In June, my 8yo nephew suffered a major brain hemmorage/stroke. It was touch and go for many months, and even now he is a totally different boy. No communication, a lot of screaming/crying, cannot move himself...etc.

It seems that 3 separate Dr's believe that he has an AVM (Arteriovenous malformations). They are generally believed to arise during embryonic or fetal development or soon after birth. They are comprised of snarled tangles of arteries and veins. Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart to the body’s cells; veins return oxygen-depleted blood to the lungs and heart. The presence of an AVM disrupts this vital cyclical process. Although AVMs can develop in many different sites, those located in the brain or spinal cord—the two parts of the central nervous system—can have especially widespread effects on the body.

In a nutshell, this tangled web of arteries/veins weaken and then burst if not caught and treated. This malformation is very rare, so there are not a lot of Dr's who specialize in removing them. Plus, the location of Shawn's AVM is in the very middle of his brain - an extremely difficult area to get to anyways. Shawn's neurologists are looking for a surgeon which specialized in AVM's to review his MRI's and hopefully get this removed.

Removal will not restore Shawn to his old self, or even make him better than what he is now. BUT, it will remove the risk of having another weakened vessel burst and have even more damage or death occur. Shawn is lucky - 15-20% of people die when they have a brain AVM burst. He was close to it for a long time, but he beat the odds.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

My different names

Just thought I'd post this b/c it was funny.

1. YOUR PORN STAR NAME:(first pet, current car):
Susie Galant

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe)
Chocolate Chip Mule

3. YOUR NATIVE AMERICAN NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal):
Red Tiger

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born in):
Grace St. Charles

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 of your first name)
Burna

6. SUPERHERO NAME: (The 2nd favorite color, favorite drink):
Black Rum & Coke

7. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
William Harry

8. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)
Channel Chocolate

10. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same letter):
Herbert Houston

11. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower):
Autumn Lilly

12. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you're wearing right now)
Watermellon Slippers

Friday, February 8, 2008

The Eye(brows) have it...

Ok, I've become eyebrow obsessed. I wasn't that way until a few years ago and now I can't stop. For more than 30 years I never touched my brows, not a tweeze or wax and I couldn't understand my coworker Elizabeth and her obsession with her brows. Granted, my brows are blond and don't stand out too much, so I never really thought of them. However, I did admire them on celebs - Friends (the show) got me hooked on looking at them. Either Courtney Cox or Jennifer Aniston's brows got me interested....one of them had what I considered perfect brows, but I still did nothing with mine.

Until...one day I was at the salon getting my hair done and I then asked for a brow wax. OMG!! I'm hooked. Love the look.

Yesterday I went to get mine done and was talking with N (friend) and my sister about waxing. N does them herself and my sister does too. Then my sister stated that she cringes when she see's her daughter and the way she tweezes her brows. Apparently my niece tweezes her brows but promptly stops the brow half way across her eye. So she has about 1 inch of brow extending "sort of" across her eye. Not seeing my niece in almost a year, I cannot comment directly. But I did start talking about the different ways people tweeze or wax. There is the half circle that extends from one side to the other - makes you look like you're always surprised....or like a clown...you get to choose. Then there are the women who do nothing except perhaps pluck a few "uni-brow" hairs away. Ok, that's your choice. However, I do cringe when I see the uni-brow. I cringe when I see it on a man or woman!! No UNI-BROWS!!! Anyone can pick up those cold wax strips and maintain the "desert land" between our two eyes. You don't have to have shapely brows, but you should not have one continuous brow. We have 2 separate eyes, we should also have 2 separate eyebrows. If you are a cyclops, then you may have 1 continuous brow. Please note, I'm not making fun of cyclops's.... I don't know any directly, but if you are one, well, more power to you.

Sorry for the rant about something so mundane. Who knew that I could have a secret obsession about eyebrows. So when you see me looking intently at your eyes, be warned that I may be secretly wanting to pluck the stray brow I see.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Big boy!!

D went pee pee in the potty!! WHOO HOOOOOO!!! For those who don't have kids or who aren't at that point yet...holy moly it's a BIG deal! D had been running round the house without a diaper on for about an hour. We were watching the Super Bowl and suddenly he stopped and I heard the drops hit the floor. "Uh-oh" was what he said. I sprang from the couch and put him on his potty. He sat there for a minute and then promptly stood up and said he was all done.

Well, this has been happening for more than a week, so I wasn't expecting to see anything in the potty. I WAS WRONG!! There at the bottom was a few drops! We did the Pee Pee dance, sang and then promptly got a Lollipop. Which is D's reward for going peepee in the potty. YAHOO!! Hopefully this is a trend to continue. It would be nice to have him potty trained before the new baby arrives.