Beware of 3 year olds bearing stickers.

Things I want to remember

"Whip-sops" turned into "lip-lops", but really means "lip gloss".

Using a "poof pick" to pick up her hotdog pieces and dip them in ketchup. (toothpick)

"a-b-c-d-e-f-g... h-i-h-i-a-b-c".

"Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are. Up up up up like a diamond in the sky...." (this never works cuz it throws the whole rhythm of the song off, but it doesn't stop her from trying.)

"doc dogs" - those things she picks up with her poof pick.

"ah-bah-lah" turns out is really an umbrella. That took days.
"grey groo" was playground. Ditto on the days. But both of those have been corrected by age...

every kind of meat is "chicken". Honest, we don't have it THAT much...

"When you finish your "pooter", we can play." ...spending way too much time reading blogs...

"OOOHHH, that's BEEE-YOU-TI-FUL" when shown her new bedroom quilt and pillows.

When she saw a "Wicked" poster and said - "Hey there's Bri-Bri!" (Wouldn't it be nice if someday that turned out to be true???!!!)

"Cheer-weeder!" omg cute.

sigh. they grow up way too fast...

rantings and ravings

Nothing makes me want to go buy an American Girl doll more than a group of religious zealots saying they're going to boycott them for supporting a cause. Now, the American Girl folks are not supporting the Columbian drug lords (oh my, here come a bunch of google hits), or assault rifle sales in Richmond. They gave some money to Girls Inc., a group serving hundreds of thousands of mostly latino and black young girls.
The protest is directed at an ongoing American Girl campaign in which proceeds from sales of a special "I Can" wristband help support educational and empowerment programs of Girls Inc., a national nonprofit organization that describes its mission as "inspiring girls to be strong, smart and bold."
Apparently that's a bad idea. Don't want any low income girls to actually think they're smart, strong and bold... no - better to have them shoot out dem babies and stay on state support. The real problem is that Girls Inc. supports contraception, the Roe vs. Wade ruling, and even offers support to those gals struggling with sexual orientation.
Now, this hits home a little. My little K was the third child born to a drug abusing, physically abused mother on her 20th birthday. What would her life have been if she'd not been placed in foster care immediately and eventually adopted? What about her mother who grew up in that environment encouraging drug use and pregnancies? If Girls Inc had been available to her, could she have perhaps made better decisions? maybe. maybe not. But that's a charity I'd have to think hard about NOT supporting! The good news is perhaps programs like this will actually benefit from these narrow minded boycotting campaigns.
Yep - I've never wanted to buy an American Girl doll before, thought they were a little overdone and kind of silly, but they sure as hell have my support now. Maybe they have a cute little latino gal I can give my little latino chica.
I'm going out to buy my "I CAN" wristband for now. Join me - maybe the huge spike in sales will send a very clear message to those who need that message sent.
...again and again.

makes a pretty good pirate.  

some scurvy bilge-rats if e're I saw some 

Late, not necessarily better

Took a break - I do that. Lots has happened - just busy stuff, nothing terribly earth shattering.
TLAP day was rousing success. I have some cool pics of people getting into the swing of things. I put lots of pirate decorations up, flags, skeleton pirate people, etc. Also provided on the walls, pirate vocabulary, so everyone could find a word or two to use (they did), and pirate jokes, some funny, some stupid, Pirate pick-up lines, which I had to turn facing the wall with a disclaimer on the other side so as not to offend any harassment-prone people. (sheesh) We had the requisite treasure chest full of candy and some borrow-if-you-want bandanas to really get involved. Everyone got a little pirate flag and an eyepatch at their desks in the morning. I recommend celebrating stuff like this - just for the fun factor - nothing else.

The following week we had "IT Week". There is no such thing, so we just picked a week and did it. (As opposed to TLAP day, which I did NOT make up.) We made project boards with interesting facts and stuff about what we do on them along with one whole board just for jokes.

We had the "new" equipment there for people to look at and play with, people to answer questions, and some raffle prizes. We visited the 3 main campuses of the hospital on different days for a few hours around lunch. An amazing number of people showed up to visit at our two larger facilities. Lots more than we expected filled out our "quiz" (all answers were on the boards) and entered the drawing. Again - a great success.

This was all great, but incredibly time consuming for yours truly, the ambassador of fun. I probably have some decent stories from the events, too, but who can remember?

In the meantime, my niece went and had her baby, a nice, healthy 8 pounder. He's beautiful - as expected from those two! First grandbaby on both sides, so I imagine this little guy won't be lacking for attention.

Also, Miss Theatre Major opened and closed a show in the time since I last wrote. She was in Seussical at CU. She was disappointed in her casting (bird girl), but it was still a fun show and she enjoyed it. Here's one of her renditions of some opening night fiascos...

"For the first number the entire cast is supposed to run up onto the stage which is covered in purple fun fur. I got up to the edge of the stage where the fun fur starts and my shoes slid out from under me. Did I fall? Sort of...
I tumbled to the ground, rolled back up, and kept running. I couldn't stop laughing for the rest of the first number.
My voice cracked on my solo line in Horton hears a Who. I do the "sold" stuff at the auction, but I was so mad at myself for messing up my first solo.
Then my shoe fell off of my foot (not very noticeably- phew!) in Amazing Mazie and I tried to discreetly put it back on.
I started laughing at J. C. (Vlad Vladikoff) and K. R. (as Yertle the judge turtle) onstage. I tried so hard not to, but you should have seen them. Last night was the first time they were in complete costume and I almost died trying to hold my laughter in.
The birds didn't have our complete costumes until last night. We had an addition of "wings" (pieces of fringe that connect to the back of our costume and our wrists) on the Final dress, and last night we had new tall headpieces added to our hats- mine is like a sprout of purple fuzzys about a foot off of my head. This may not seem like a big deal, but I cannot tell you how much of a difference these two things make. We kept getting stuck on scenery, mics, and each other with the wings. The most noticeable catch for me was on the bows when I went up to bow and my arm just stayed up by my head until I could figure out how to untangle my wing from my purple fuzzies (the director noticed this one... embarrassing!) There was more, but I think these were the funniest and most ridiculous things that happened last night."

I SO wish I could have seen that, but then I suppose I'd have had to make for the nearest water closet to avoid an uncomfortable scene - I tend to laugh a little too hysterically at other people's misfortunes. A nasty habit of mine... I am wondering, though - what's up with dress rehearsals these days? Having costumed a show or three myself, I know nothing's supposed to change after the last dress rehearsal, unless it's something like a shoe decoration or a minor piece of jewelry. Adding a headdress? yikes! I am jealous, though - hubby and youngest son went out there this weekend to see the show and visit. I keep talking about how nice it would be to win the lottery, but then I guess I'd really need to buy a ticket or two in order for that to happen.

Anything more will just have to wait. My brain is tired.

My Pirate Name

Remember, Monday is International Talk Like a Pirate Day!
I have several things planned for work, as I am officially the Ambassador of FUN there. (Well, at least one of them...)
What's your pirate name?
I have several:

Captain Morgan Vane:
Even though there's no legal rank on a pirate ship, everyone recognizes you're the one in charge. You tend to blend into the background occaisionally, but that's okay, because it's much easier to sneak up on people and disembowel them that way. Arr!

Bad-Rum Tess
No description, but really, is one needed?

Capn Elizabeth the Wicked Wench
Again, name with no description, but clearly, I am the captain sort.
*puffs up chest*

Wanna know more about Talk Like a Pirate day? I can't wait.

driver training

My teenager passed his written driving test today and walked out in proud receipt of three stapled together pieces of paper which say he can start practicing to drive. Through a very strange set of coincidences, I just sent this teenager off with a complete stranger in a powder blue mini cooper with decals ablaze. "Driversed.com" "Your complete driver training source" etc. etc.

Top Reasons to be Concerned:

1. My son is learning to drive in one of the smallest and easiest to crush vehicles on the road.

2. He is learning to drive with the handicap of not being able to see the action ahead for the ginormous SUV sure to be in front of him at all times.

3. I found the driving instructor on the INTERNET for god's sake.

4. The car is POWDER BLUE! What will his hockey pals say?

5. Until we adopted little K., this was my BABY! *teeny tears welling up*

6. Big K says, after his successful test results, "Do I HAVE to wait for the lesson to start? I want to practice first so I can impress the teacher." uh huh.

7. The 6 months countdown to the actual drivers test has officially started.

8. The car is POWDER BLUE! No one drives a powder blue car! Everyone will laugh at him!

9. The driving instructor answered his phone "Hello." Instead of "Your best Driving School ever, how can I help you?" or better yet, some secretary-like person saying, "Hello, Best Damn Driving School Ever, there are 14 eager callers ahead of you, will you please hold?"

10. This is my baby out there in a POWDER BLUE Mini, risking his life in the quest of this driver's license, unable to see anything, and getting older every day and every day is one day closer to when he dresses up and picks up his date for the prom, and then graduates and then goes off to college and then...

oh shut up.

Apolitical me

So is it my imagination or are things a little screwy? GW gets Roberts on the Supreme Court basically through the back door and then gives him the job of chief justice? And the rest of us are so focused on the devastation in the southeast that we're not even phased by this? AND he gets to appoint another justice as well. be afraid. be very afraid.

Opportunities

Little L. went to another foster home last week. A long term one.
This is the first time I've had to give a child up to non-family. Apparently, the judge saw some wisdom in releasing her 4 older sisters so they can be adopted by the foster family who has had them for the past 2 years, but letting little L have the benefit of trying to reunite with her mom but not her dad. Mom has not left Dad in the last 2 years of county run scrutiny, let alone the last 12. I don't know how that will change in the next 4 months, and in the meantime, little L's lost the opportunity to be adopted with her siblings. (although it could still happen sometime in the more distant future - my fingers are crossed!) But that's what the ruling was, and we couldn't continue the foster care arrangement with both of us working, so we did not get to place her directly with either an adoptive family or her mom. This is so not what we got into this deal for. But we know she got a good, healthy, stable and secure start. We know we got her to the point where she will sleep through the night on occasion, where she will smile when she hears my voice or sees my face. (The others had to work a little harder.) And that has to be enough. big sigh.

In comparison, my stealthy little one can't stay in bed for more than 2 hours straight - ANY night. And she wants Daddy to put her back to bed. Sucks to be the favorite at 11pm, 1,2,4&6am. I haven't figured out how to get her to just stay in bed and let herself fall back asleep when she wakes up. I know putting plastic spiders around will not work this time! I read somewhere that one family made a chart and every night the child stayed in bed was worth a sticker. After a certain amount of stickers, a trip to the zoo or some other fun place was awarded. Nice idea, but for the instant reward/consequence 3s, I'm not sure it will work just yet. I might try it anyway. In the meantime, I'm taking my opportunities when they show up. Watching "Nevergood" the other night ("Everwood" for the non-initiated - I just renamed it because I can't stand the main character. But for the record, the show itself is a kind of guilty pleasure and I do watch it more than not), Amy scoots herself onto her bed to be by herself for a while. She gets a phone call which she does not answer, and curls up. I know it's a solemn, even sad moment where she's thinking about her graduation and her mother's cancer which is progressing despite chemo, and my comment is "I bet she stays in her bed all night". Just seizing the opportunity, folks! Pan to Ephraim, who placed the unanswered phone call, sitting on his bed with his half packed backpack, and S. and K. both chime in (after delivering a shocked and appalled look at me after my comment) "I bet he stays in his bed all night, too." Guess they saw the opportunity.

Speaking of my stealth snuggler, there were a handful of times through the sleep deprived nights of little L where I'd wake up because my arm was asleep and look over to find a cute little head on my arm, or snuggled into the space between me and the edge of the bed. This was different from her barreling days when she'd run in and climb OVER me to sleep in the middle. She was definitely being sneaky. And she'd found that I might not wake up if she just climbed in and snuggled. Have to admit, she had a good plan. Not only was she able to sneak an hour or two in my bed before I'd wake up, I had a hell of a time telling her she had to go back to her own bed when she was snuggled so cute and sweet next to me. Truth is, we probably would just let her sleep with us as long as she needs if it weren't for her gymnastics and kick boxing nights which come far more often than the snuggly ones. Oh well - any and all ideas are welcome!
A Challenge and an Opportunity.

A Kid Gone Good 

A Kid Gone Good

We drove down to San Diego this last weekend for my niece's wedding. 4 adults and two car seats in a car that officially seats 8, but you'd never want to drive from San Fran to San Diego with 8 in the car. Anyway, the kids did pretty darn well for such a long trip, and most of the adults did too. I still can't figure out why my oldest (24) will always find something to be grumpy or unhappy about, and if it's not readily available, he'll go looking for it. But that's another post.
My niece is the same age as above grump-pot but has been such a ray of sunshine to me. She had some very rough years as a teen, resulting in a teen pregnancy with a young man who was soon to spend considerable time in jail. She was pretty well written off by her dad, my BIL. So she lived with her mom for a while, got her GED and started working. It wasn't long before she realized she wasn't going anywhere except her mom's without an education, so she pursued a college education at a state college with student loans and student family housing. Somehow, between toddler feedings and toys, she got to the point where she could transfer to a school where she could finish her degree in nursing. As I am a nurse, we chatted many times on her path to her BSN. All this time, she continued to make her education and her child her top priorities. I was impressed.
Somehow, she met a young man a year younger than she, but who accepted her completely, child and all. He must have been 18 or 19 at the time. Again, amazing, but I held little hope for the relationship. They proved me wrong. They have been each other's strength now for about 6 years. They have also had a child of their own.
My niece graduated from nursing school (apparently nothing derails this young woman) last May with two children and a bill or two to pay. She proceeded to get a job in Southern California and now works nights supporting the family.
She is almost 25, a new bride, and one of the strongest people I know. I'm so proud to be her aunt and godmother. The wedding was beautiful and I thank her mother, stepfather, MIL and FIL for hosting it for them. These are two kids who have been through some rough times and deserve some good. So happy they found each other, and that we were able to share some of that happiness.

I put on a John Mayer CD the other day while working. Looked back a couple of minutes later to see this. Coincidence? I think not. 

why fast food amuses me

Haven't been to McDonalds in maybe a year or so. But I'm between meetings yesterday, driving back from one hospital to the next and I pass one. I think, "S. had a nice looking salad from there - maybe I'll go through the drive-thru." There are only two cars in front of me, so I get to the crackling order speaker fairly quickly.

"How can I help you?", a young crackly voice says to me.

"I'd like a grilled chicken caesar salad, please." I crackle back at my hostess.

"What kind of dressing would you like with that?", she asks earnestly.

"Let's see.... ummm.... Caesar?", I reply in crackly confusion...

Is there a choice of dressings on a caesar salad? I thought it was implied in the name. So is she throwing me a trick question? What would the salad be if I said Thousand Island? An Exiled Caesar? But then, he did wear a toga and that crown of foliage... maybe that fits. But what about Ranch? A Good Ol' Boy Caesar? Besides conjuring up a really goofy image of a long deceased ruler, I have to say no - if the dressing's gone, then the Caesar part is gone too.

I spent the better part of a 1/2 hour chuckling at various combinations of salads and what they might be named.

And that's why fast food amuses me.

better late than never.... or not

See, this is why I was never a good diary person. Whole months would go by without my even wanting to open the darn thing. Then I'd be all over it for 3 days. So maybe I'm not much of a blogger person either.

Since the last flurry of activity, I have finished the HP book - liked it alot, but preferred both 4 & 5 to it. I loved the amount of action in those, and the fact that I'd be a quarter of the way through the book and it would feel like the end, and I'd know I had a whole lot more coming! It amazed me that the author could come up with those great stories and tell them so well, and still have more in store for me! Year 6 was still interesting and a little darker even than 5, but that, too, makes sense, seeing as Voldemort is gaining strength and the showdown is coming... da dum, da dum...

We also baptized our little 3 year old. We had to wait until the adoption was final, obviously, first, then we waited until our favorite priest was back from Mexico, and until my sister and niece could join us. Then we joined up with my incredibly cute nephew and had a joint ceremony. It was so nice. I thought she might freak out (being that she's 3 and all...), especially with the water part, but she watched Ben first, and didn't have a problem at all. The only disappointment is that her godmother, aka her older sis, couldn't be there. She was "stuck" in Colorado at the Shakespeare Festival. She tried to get clearance to come out, but she's in two shows and understudying a part in both her show and in yet a third one. They said no. But her two godfathers were there, aka her older brothers, and they filled the bill quite nicely. I borrowed my sister to stand in for my daughter and all went just wonderfully.

We also had a baby shower for my niece which also went quite well. I provided the house, tables, chairs, plates, etc and cake. Her other three aunts provided the food and entertainment. It seemed that everyone had a nice time. Niece looks absolutely fabulous - she's always been really striking anyway - but you know how they say there's that "glow"? Well, I never felt I ever had one, but she does. And she's a little sensitive about "how big she is". She's not really all THAT big, but she does look farther along than 7 months usually does. Everyone carries differently... I once met a mom picking up her son at my son's birthday party. She was wearing a pair of overalls, and I swear, if she looked 5 months pregnant, that was a stretch. She told me she was due in a week. And by golly, the next week a beautiful full term baby was born. I think she must have not had any other organs in there! Still can't figure out where she put it! Simply amazing. But I digress...

In the meantime, I have my own baby fix here - Little L was born on the 7/15, I picked her up at the hospital on the 17th, and have been a "new mom" again ever since. She's had a couple of really cranky nights, (mom-to-be niece was around for one of them, unfortunately) but by and large, she's been a decent sleeper. Those cranky nights will get you, though. I also realized there really is some value in that whole maternity leave thing. Most moms caring for a 3 week old don't have to go to the office the morning after a crankypants night. That's a good plan. I think when we take our next foster baby, I will not be working. Despite good intentions, the "unemployed" 1/2 of this couple just can't stay home to take care of her. I'm doing lots of telecommute days and various other creative forms of time management. Thank heavens for a flexible job and really great bosses.

Other news - youngest son (15 1/2) officially has his first girlfriend. Always cute. And he picked well, too - she's really sweet (and cute too). They've been friends for several years now ("secretly" harboring a crush on each other, both sets of parents have always thought), play roller hockey together, referee together, etc. I suppose it was inevitable. Kind of a Disney movie thing. He is showering a whole lot more, and chews gum too. hmmmm. The showering is definitely a bonus - if you know any hockey players, you'll know just what I mean. There's something about all that equipment - the smell just never quite comes out no matter what you do with it.

Have a great however long until the next time!

So the new HP book has been out for a whole day. I have my copy but I'm on [gasp] Chapter 2. I'm also as of yesterday, the foster mom to a newborn linebacker, so all of a sudden, my free time has taken a nose dive. So don't tell me the story - I'll get there - but just a little bit late.
 

watch what you land in

I'm a busy blogger lately! But had to share the headline of the day.

back to the 4th

Forgot to send this link out for the 4th, but it's still so freakin funny, here it is now. (actually, the whole site is worth visiting...) so, happy 4th y'all, 4 days late.

randomness

Strawberry Shortcake.

Neldam's in Oakland makes the best ever, but it's not available year round. This presents a problem for those of us born in the month of January. or December or February, for that matter. So instead, I choose shortcake to celebrate everyone else's birthday. Today, for example, we celebrated the birthday of a friend born on the 4th of July. Checked in with her hubby about her favorite cake (nice touch, we thought), found out she liked SS too. Super cool. Then asked if she liked anything better. He says "Yes, but I can't talk about that." Great comeback. Why can't I think of those?

I do - but twenty minutes later.

It's that same talent that has me conversing with myself. Not really with myself, with other people, just not when they're around. My Jeckyll/Hyde neighbor is one I've had numerous "conversations" with. My MIL, too. Those are always fun - they're usually about the right to choose, the various contradictions of the right-to-lifers who are gun-ho about the justness of our presence in Iraq, etc. One of my favorites is our beloved "W". Even though I don't consider myself a political expert in any way, I can come up with some good stuff about him. Regardless, I'm always quite erudite in these, and easily prove my points. Unfortunately, very rarely do my real life conversations mimic these fascinating mental/verbal jousts. It sure is a pleasure when they do, though. My l'il sis and her hubby (both psychologists) probably have a term for me, but I don't think I want to know what it is.

Why is it that when a baby falls asleep in your arms, there is nothing better in the world. They become an extension of you and are yours forever... until they wake up, or have to go home with their mom and dad.

When a house alarm goes off in the middle of the night, there is no freakin' way you can remember the damn code. And the infernal and incessant ringing just doesn't help the memory banks unfog. And did you know, the damn alarm can go off even when it's not armed? We found that out last night. Hint: get the key to the stupid box BEFORE this happens to you. They "usually don't leave the key" with the owner when they install the box. What??? Why the hell not? It's our box! Hint #2: check the transformer. Somehow the power to the alarm system is interrupted and it gets nasty mad when it doesn't get power. Now you know.

Mary Poppins 4 nights in a row is difficult, but tolerable. Pete's Dragon 4 nights in a row is enough to make you slit your throat.
Julie Andrews vs Helen Reddy - no contest.

Bubbles may be the world's most perfect toy.
And that makes the "Bubble Lady" a very cool person.

Have a great Friday, everyone.

child proofing - stage 3

I remember buying those little cabinet locks when my now 24 year old was a baby. That was the extent of my baby-proofing. Well, that and the rug that covered the fireplace hearth which had already caused a couple of stitches. That approach was sufficient for my first three kids.
This fourth one is crafty. ...and curious. She's been out of her crib now for well over a year because she'd climb out. Or maybe she'd jump out - we've seen her jump off the kitchen counter. We just know we'd hear a THUD and she'd come barrelling into our room sometime between midnight and 2. The crib got dismantled pretty quickly. She still comes into the room, but sometimes now, she sneaks instead of barrells. When this happens, she usually scares the bejeezus out of me. I prefer barrelling.

I've been suspicious that she's figured out the cabinet locks for a week or so. I've found little travel bottles of lotion in strange places. Yesterday afternoon, there was a peculiar smell from her - a pleasant one - but peculiar. I looked at all the available lotion containers - not it. Found the sunblock (she LOVES sunblock) - not it. I found some very nice smelling polish remover a while ago. She found it too - and put it ALL over. Then she tried to fix it by washing herself in the kitchen sink with dishwashing soap. It took about 5 rinsings to get that off. After that, she found a nice black marker behind locked doors, and now she needs another shower.

At three, she's not old enough for me to trust taking the damn locks off, but how to keep her out? Looking for good ideas!

In the meantime, if you want some of the more dangerous or permanently messy things in my house, you'll have to look WAY up. And it has to be a way up that is inaccessible by countertop of any kind. She's even gotten really good at using my step stool to reach. Which of course, I will need to use more and more now because I am still a shrimp.

My only idea so far is to buy a bunch of plastic spiders and put them in the cabinets I want to keep her out of. She has this incredible ability to see a spider at almost any distance. That might work.

colors

Can't tell if the little one's color blind, just not interested, or ornery. When you ask her what color something is, she'll get a little smirk on and say, kinda sing-songy,

"Not purple. Not red. Not orange. Not green." until she gets the color and you say "Yes, green."

Then she laughs.

I've been tagged

I don't know anything about tagging or being tagged, but I'm learning. I'm a fast learner. I'm also a good responder. Since Lunasea tagged me, and she's pretty much the only person who EVER comments on anything I blog, I feel compelled to respond. If there's only one person out there who loves me, I'm gonna do what she wants!
(but don't send me any chain mail - it WILL die with me. I'm also the kill-joy who looks up your urban hoax stories instead of sending them around again and lets you know they're fake. Maybe that's why there's only one person sharing the love out there... food for thought.)
So here goes:

Three screen names I've had: beastarzmom; hockeymom; rag722.

Three things you like about yourself: I am good at my job. I am not compulsive about anything. I am silly.

Three things I don't like about myself: I avoid confrontation too much. Procrastination. Really awful housekeeper.

Three parts of my heritage: Irish, English, miser.

Three things that scare me: Losing a child. Car accidents in my vicinity. Heights.

Three of your everyday essentials: Hugs. Underwear. E-mail.

Three things you are wearing right now: Sandals. Black pants. B/W sweater set. (oh, and underwear!)

Three of my favorite songs: What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong) Butterfly Kisses (Bob Carlisle) Because You Loved Me (Celine Dion - for the record, I pretty much can't stand the singer, but I LOVE the song...) gee - do I have to stop at 3?

Things I want in a relationship: Cooperation. Support. Trust.

Two truths and a lie: I have 21 nieces and nephews, as evenly divided as possible. A large part of my income goes to the University of Colorado right now. I love camping.

Three things I can't do without: Chocolate, apparently. Hugs. A "baby fix" from time to time.

Three places you want to go on vacation: Mexico. Bali. Italy.

Three things you just can't do: Jump into a swimming pool without holding my nose. Touch my toes. Develop a taste for coffee. (I don't even like the smell...)

Three kids names: hmmm - that I haven't used? How about Evan, Alan and Kate.

Things you want to do before you die: Get fabulous seats to watch my daughter on Broadway. Babysit my grandkids. Eat healthy.

Three celeb crushes: Denzel Washington. Tom Cruise (Katie - give it up!) OK, seriously - Robert Redford, Paul Newman.

Three people you want to know these things about: gee - this one just sounds so much like a chain letter, that I'll noodle on it some more before answering... If you want to be tagged - let me know - I'll gladly accommodate!

late entry:: Based on a Lunasea comment, I'm tagging kyknoord.

You're it.

ENOUGH ALREADY! 

Fame

Man - you put a little picture of Jerry Rice in your blog and you go from 1000 hits to 1400 overnight! What a gimmick. Sorry to those of you who thought you were actually going to get some information about him. tuff luck as they say. But Hi anyway - nice of you to drop by! Leave a comment and tell me why you're searching the big guy out... always curious.
But fame is fleeting. I'll be back to my 2 hits/week again pretty soon. That's what happens when you don't really have much to say!

Here's today's shot from the CC Times. That's more like it. 

Here's the mug shot from yesterday's Comcast. I think he deserves much better than that. 

It comes in Threes

My MIL has always held that deaths come in threes. If one person dies (celebrity, friend, extended family, neighbor), she's always on the lookout for the next two. Strangely, she pretty much always comes up with the other two somehow.
I just happened on the obituary page (don't ask - it's sad) and found that the voice of Tony the Tiger, Fred Flintstone and Frank Gorshin, who voiced untold numbers of characters all died recently. Where have I been???? I did not hear about any of these losses.
I'm starting to believe my MIL - it does come in threes.

Getting Old is Not for the Weak

We'll just try this and see if it works.
Comcast posted an article today about Jerry Rice signing with the Denver Broncos. Now, I'm a Jerry Rice fan - I loved the glory days with Montana and even Young. Now I'm thinking, Jerry - you're 42, you've got a shitload of money, it's time to GET A FREAKIN' LIFE! Love ya, man, and I'm proud of the "not gonna give up" attitude at Oakland, but move on. Seattle, and now Denver. A serious message is being sent and it's one you should listen to!
Oh, and who's idea was it to print a mug shot of the guy? I thought I was going to read a story about the 87 year old grandmother he just mugged.

OK. This is weird. I'm not kidding here - I JUST opened my Chinese Fortune Cookie and read:
"Depart not from the path which fate has you assigned."

I stand corrected.

the Guilt

How awful does it feel to shut a drawer and only after the drawer is just about closed, realize that your toddler's fingers are still in there? I know.

Great minds think alike and more foster fun

I was reading an article about the Bay to Breaker's race, and remarking how it's a little strange that the people you see running naked are never the people you wish you would see running naked. And there it was. My comment. In print. Credited to someone else who undoubtedly has the same incredibly pithy insight to these occasions as myself. It's a conundrum.

Other news - we have a new little foster daughter as of yesterday. Brooke is 10 months old and is super cute! Don't know how this happens. I'm pretty sure they don't have a list of foster homes for cute kids and a list for not-so-cute kids, but we have certainly gotten the cuties. She's got a great little temperament, and doesn't seem to be having a huge problem with the fact that we are all strangers here taking care of her. We don't know how long she'll be here, but we do know her mom was arrested. Beyond that... all conjecture. I hear from friends that we're such "great people" to do what we do, but I gotta tell you - the kids are SO sweet. We always get more than we give. These kids deserve so much more. They deserve parents who will watch them, make them smile and be there for them ALWAYS. We're only doing a little - a teeny bit - to keep these kids safe and happy. But every little bit helps, I guess.

The joy of older siblings

Aren't big brothers fun? Last night we had hysterics in the car.

Big K: Guess What?
Little K: What?
BK: Chicken butt.
both: hysterical laughter.

repeat this sequence about 150 times, alternating who gets to say "Chicken Butt" and you have our drive home from hockey last night. If the laughter hadn't been so genuine and tummy-aching, it would have been a whole lot more painful, but I'm just a little concerned about what we'll hear from the preschool teachers today. Not too many of the kids have a 15 year old brother to teach them cool tricks.

The Doodlebops

Based on my nearly 180 degree turnaround in my opinion of the Wiggles, I'm reserving judgement on the Doodlebops. Maybe strangely colored people with odd hair and ears who sing and dance hip-hop are just what the toddler set needs. I'm thinking they (the toddlers) probably won't really be able to dance along with these way cool dudes, though. I mean jumping up and down and from side to side while you stick a hand in the air is one thing (the Wiggles...) but hip hop movements??? I don't think so. But even so, there was a time when Greg, Anthony, Murray and Jeff freaked me out ... in fact there are still times when that happens. ("I am a Dancer" omg...) And even after all these years, the purple dinosaur and the sticky sweet kids have never grown on me. In fact I cannot listen to them - a very strange and perverse feeling of extreme dislike washes over me like one of those Maverick waves. It's best for everyone if I change the channel. And Doodlebops - what's with the "Where's Moe" bit? Even blatant rip-off acts should have a little originality!
But I do like the primary colored Aussies now, so I'm reserving judgement on Deedee, Rooney and Moe.

Wait - I made one of those!

Wish I'd thought of this! the memories, the thrill, the horror!

Texans caring for their kids

Apparently, gay people are once again a bad influence on young, innocent children. The Dollars should move there - there will be lots of need for more incredible foster care. yikes.

Oh yeah - one more - in honor of the upcoming holiday, we had a peep show this year! Hee hee! 

Birthday decorating at work! (read from bottom up - I still haven't spent any time trying to figure out how to post two pics at once.)  

And just a touch of Japan for this guy - complete with a bamboo curtain, bonsai and sand tray and even gong! It's fun - a lot of the decorations have been left up. People who visit our department conclude we must have a lot of fun there. It's pretty much true. 

This was one of my favorites - a friendship garden. Very simple, with friendly quotes on paper dolls all over. Great idea from that team! 

This guy is an Oakland fan - both Raiders and A's (even when they have stinky seasons), so he got a schizophrenic cubicle 1/2 As, 1/2 Raiders. 

We have fun at work. Last year, we decorated cubicles for people's birthdays. We had a team chosen each month to pick a theme and decorate. This cubicle belongs to a gal who likes to garden,so she got a spring garden cubicle, complete with flowered arch entrance. 

Little Miss K (trying again, to see if it will stay) 

coming next - the wedding

Well, it's been a while, but we're still basking in the glow of being a complete and full and legal family. I've got a few wedding pictures, which will come soon, but until then, here's the scoop -
The day we adopted K, we jumped into the car and drove down to Santa Monica - about a 5-6 hour drive normally, but the weather sucked as did traffic, and it took us about 8-9 hours to get there. We added one to our family and were about to add another. We were going to my nephew's wedding.
And a beautiful wedding it was... (of course, have you ever been to a wedding that wasn't?) Somehow, the torrential rainfall that happened that weekend down in So. Cal missed us at all the important moments - waiting to get into the church - no rain. From church to reception (3 large deluxe buses took all 300+ guests from hotel to church, then to the USC campus where the reception was held in the "Town & Gown" building), it rained while we were on the bus, but not while we loaded in or got out and walked to the building. There was plenty of evidence it rained hard while we celebrated, but it wasn't raining when we walked to the buses again afterwards. Kind of eerie, but nice for everyone.
My nephew and his bride were beaming and beautiful, and their day suited them perfectly. He was part of the glee club in his days at Notre Dame (which is where the two met, btw), so they came and sang during the mass. Still incredible after all these years! The two of them took some dancing lessons so they wouldn't embarass themselves, and proceeded to entertain the crowd at the reception. It was actually very sweet.
My hope is that when my children find their partners, that my sons and daughters find someone they can cherish as much as J does A and that they are cherished in kind. The extravagant wedding was important to J&A, and was wonderful for them, and for us as well, but the most important thing was not the extravagance, nor the surroundings, nor the rain, rainbows or peeking rays of sunlight, not the multi-course sit down dinner, or the chocolate martinis, but the look in their eyes as they started their life together.
Good luck and many happy years together, my nephew and niece.

Our little miss K. (and now I can actually show her cute little face!)
One of these days, I'll figure out how to have more than one picture in an entry, but hey - I'm still at the point where I think it's pretty cool that I can even post a picture with an entry!
...of course, now that I've said that, my picture has disappeared and my hope is that those picture gremlins who took my pictures last time but gave them back will do it again. If not, hey, there's a teeny one of her with the family that has seemed to survive. It must have something to do with editing the post after the picture is placed, so I'm not touching anything else. C'mon gremlins - give little miss K's face back!

The gotcha bracelet (see adoption entry) 

Adoption pics 

Gotcha!

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the petition be granted and said minor child is now the adopted child of the petitioners, S and R, and shall be in the custody of said petitioners and be regarded and treated in all respects as their own lawful child; that they shall sustain toward the child and the child toward them the legal relation of parent and child, and each respectively shall have all of the rights and be subject to all the duties of natural child and that the child shall take the name of G and be known as K, the adopted child of S and R.
Executed on February 18, 2005.

I've said this before - I did not know this was to be the end result of my first foster care experience. But I do know that life throws curves and it's our job to either catch or miss them. We caught this one. GOTCHA!

One of my dear friends from work joined us for our big day, and brought with her a "gotcha" bracelet. I, being not quite the internet surfer I probably should be, given my occupation, had not a clue what it was. There are some great adoption sites out there - a little late, but now I know!

Here's what the card with it says:

The history of the gotcha charm comes from the Chinese tradition of placing a red dot in the middle of the forehead of a child waiting to be adopted to bring it good fortune. Americans have adopted Gotcha Day as the day the child was placed in their arms.

I knew the moment I saw it, that it would be our special heirloom. I will wear it and cherish it until little K is ready, then it will become hers.

It's an interesting bond, this adopted child and parent thing. I couldn't love her more if the biological cord were mine, yet there is a difference. It wasn't always a given that we would grow up together. Even though we tried, and her bio father definitely tried, we were pretty sure the family reunification plan wasn't going to be successful maybe as much as 2 years ago. It took me a little longer than my husband to get on board this adoption track. I have seen my 50th birthday - and while I don't feel "old", this wasn't part of the retirement I envisioned... I didn't see this coming - at least for quite a while. I thought we would provide this safe harbor for many children until they either found a safe place with their parents or adoptive parents. I didn't think that ultimate safe place would be my home.

But I wouldn't change a thing. If I had had adoption on my mind earlier on, I don't think our visits with bio father would have been the same. I was trying to cultivate a bond between them - would I have done that if I had been planning to adopt? I know he tried to change his life and provide a safe home for the children. Would I have been as open to seeing that if my ultimate goal was to adopt her myself? When the time comes that she wants to know about her bio parents, I will be able to tell her without a doubt that she was wanted. No, I wouldn't change a thing. Except maybe I would have liked to have played the waiting game a little less. Her bio parent's rights were terminated one full year ago today, and that was a full year after "services" had been terminated, which was 6 months longer than the county says is their goal... the adoption was finalized 361 days after rights were terminated. Why so long? I'd love the county to work on that.

So little miss K joined our family on 2/18/05, but really, she joined it 3 years and one day earlier when we picked her up at Alta Bates and gave her that first kiss.

Gotcha.

high school??

One of my least favorite shows was on last night - One Tree Hill. Unfortunately, I watch it way more than I'd like because it's on after one of my favorite shows - Gilmore Girls. We watch precious few TV shows on a regular basis, and I absolutely hate reality shows... so that's one of the shows I really try to watch.

anyway back to my least favorite - it's becoming more and more bizarre to follow this thing - these "kids" are in high school. (maybe 5 or 6 years ago they really were, but we're supposed to believe that anyway). One couple is married, and she just left him last night to try to make it in the music world. A couple of seasons ago, this girl was the smart, anti-popular one who tutored other people. ok. I'm trying to buy it...

Another couple has an unwed father, who just got back from running away with his infant daughter so her loser of an older woman mother wouldn't take her. hmmm. there's more. A popular cheerleader type went after him to bring him back, and now they are apparently shacking up together, since they cuddled in the same bed with the baby between. HIGH SCHOOL!!!??? What the heck high school is like this? I realize my vision is clouded by not being brought up in the inner city, but these are not inner city portrayals, either. I'm pretty darn sure my two who finished high school and the one in it now have no contact with anyone remotely living these kinds of lives.

The poor little rich girl is trying to run for president. (And I thought they were seniors last year - what's she running for - president of the high school alumni association?) If they're not even seniors yet, then she was one of those head cheerleader types as a freshman. I know freshmen girls - they don't look, sound, or act like this... even the "fast" ones.

And our hero, Luke, (played by Chad Michael Murray who hasn't seen a high school in at least 5 years, and looks it. But I digress again...) is now dealing with living with some kind of heart ailment whose acronym I didn't even recognize, but he wants to keep it a secret from his mother, so he's moving in with his wicked and wretched oaf of a biological father who didn't acknowledge him for 20 years. oh yeah - oops, he's still in high school... anyway, I know I've been out of the direct caregiver part of healthcare for a while, but couldn't they come up with something most of us could recognize?

So I guess you just have to suspend belief if you want to follow these shows, or, if you're like me, a better option is to find that damn remote before Gilmore is over and just turn it off!

labels

address labels - I'll never have to buy another address label for as long as I live. ...at this address, anyway. Let me warn you - if you donate anything to the leukemia, alzheimers, breast cancer, heart association, or MADD, you will get labels. and labels. and labels. I think I've gotten SPCA and other labels as well, since I seem to be on the "give her address labels - it works" list. Just cuz I sent someone some money sometime... but hey, if you're in need of labels - give one of them a try - you can never have too many Ziggy or flowers or whatever in your drawer.

Why women live longer than men

This is hysterical - You GOTTA visit this site (www.abrasha.com/misc/women.htm ). I'm still utterly amazed.
This has nothing to do with the SF artist's website about jewelry, but I imagine he found it amazing as well.... These guys should definitely be up for the Darwin awards.

shooting daggars

Is it just me, or did Donald Trump just marry someone who always looks like she's pissed off and somebody's gonna hear about it as soon as these damn photographers go away? Oh, but take just a few more before you go....
daggar

omg

omg. I have nothing more to say.
omg

"stop that rhyming - I mean it!"

You'll find my family spouting lines from movies pretty much anytime...
Napoleon Dynamite is getting a lot of coverage right now. But I really kind of think they talked to my 15 year old before making it. I think they were really imitating him. jeez.
Rocky gets more than it's fair share, since one of my daughter's friends' name is "AAAdriennne".
We sometimes hear "Anybody want a peanut?" in response to anything that rhymes with nut (Princess Bride). This ALWAYS leads to a rather long rendition of how to kill a sicilian, and usually one or two "you keeeled my father, prrrepare to die" thrown in there. We can get carried away. "That word... I do not think it means what you think it means." see what I mean? Once you get going it's hard to stop. Incontheeevable, Butt-ah-cup.

The little one gets into the act now, too. Usually it's a Wiggles phrase or something tame. But during the Christmas season, she took a liking to "The Santa Clause" with Tim Allen. In one scene, he's outside in a pair of nice silk, very red pjs while neighbors are walking by. He tells one lady in particular that she should be happy he's wearing these because he usually sleeps "buck naked". Little K thought that was hysterical and said it many times for many days. It was funny, especially when we realized she was saying "butt naked" (which actually makes more sense, don't you think?). The craze died down and she'd been back to her normal stuff, when she recently decided to share her love of her version with all the people shopping with us at JC Penney and Safeway. It was nice. ...and what else do you teach the child?

We're watching the Songs from Disney tape from now on.

I've learned

...that John Mayer is really good background music for telecommuting.
...that the soundtrack for Wicked is not.
...that while I love Christmas decorations, it's nice when they're packed away.
...that Tahoe road dirt does not get washed away in a downpour. or two.
...barking dogs really bug me. (and one of mine barks - a lot!)
...so do pouncing cats. 'specially in the middle of the night. Isn't a pouncing 2 year old enough?

LISTEN before you answer...

Child: "Can I have a [something ridiculously sweet or inappropriate]?"
Male parent: "OK".
Child proceeds with the [something ridiculously sweet or inappropriate], having been given the approval needed and the female parent now walks in.
Female parent: "Why does [whoever] have a [whatever] when we're about to sit down for dinner?"
Male parent: "I dunno."

AAARRRGH!

Sometimes it's bewildering...
C: "Does that clock say 2:30 or 3:30?"
MP: "Uh huh."
C: sigh...

Now we're told we need to address the MP in the text of our question, because he doesn't always listen. (duh)
A variation of the above happened the other evening....

C: "Is this a TV show or a movie we're watching?"
...silence...
C: "Dad?"
MP: "Yes."
C: "Which is it?"
MP: "Which is what?"
C: (laughing) "omg... is this a TV show or a movie?"
MP: "I dunno - I think it's a movie. maybe."
C: "Why did you answer "yes?"?
MP: "Didn't you call me?"

Apparently, if the "Dad" had been included in the first question, the whole exchange would have been smoother.

My own father wears two hearing aids and still doesn't hear well. This exchange took place back when he was aware his hearing was getting worse, but was in a bit of denial about it. I think he may have had one hearing aid, but only wore it occasionally.
This was a holiday dinner of some sort, with family sitting around the table. My mother got up to use the restroom. The male parent in this one is of course, my dad. Can't remember who the child is, my l'il sis, probably.

MP: "Where's your mother?"
C: "She went to the bathroom."
MP: "Did it ring?"

Hysterical laughter followed, and the story gets repeated frequently at family gatherings still. Wish I could say it's inherited, but that would have been MY dad, not my husband's dad... so that doesn't work.

Maybe it's the gender.

baby steps and other random stuff

I'm learning little blogtips one at a time. Did you know you're supposed to comment back when someone comments on your page? Now I do! L'il sis, the real blogger in the family, gives me tips now and then. She's been nominated for the BOB awards. (Ok, I nominated her, but if I hadn't, someone else would have.)

I need a lot more tips.

... so what's with the middle of the night stuff? Best time to blog - but then, what else are you going to do at 2:30 am when you can't sleep? My house is not teeny, but it's not huge, either - most housecleaning is too noisy. besides.... housecleaning? I don't think so.

I'm hoping this insomnia is a symptom of impending change of life... finally... maybe... or not... (!) Some people think I'm crazy, but I really think women should have a say in when they're ready for the hormones to stop. And I say now! Actually, I said I was ready a few years ago, but the hormone gods weren't listening. I get kind of cranky now - maybe that's a sign. The other day, dearest husband had a glass of water on the bed with him and it spilled. I was unreasonably irritated. I took that as a good sign. But then a day or two later, my system decided it is 15, not 51 and I head for the feminine products AGAIN. And I get a little grumpy when I talk to people around my age who haven't had a period in a few YEARS. What's up with that? The hormone gods are punishing me for..... can't think of what. So I'm cranky and I can't sleep. No hot flashes, nothing else much happening. Guess I can just keep buying the industrial strength products.

'nough of that.

It's raining here - that usually means snow in the mountains. And that is good news! We're going to Tahoe this weekend, spending a few days there to celebrate DDD's 21st birthday, and the hockey man's 15th. I booked the week almost a year ago, only to find out that school starts up again on the 3rd. This means hockey man has to miss two days of school, which is not good - freshman year is proving to be a bit of a struggle for him. Organization is not his strong suit. So, we'll go up, stay and ski Monday and Tuesday, then the boys will head home and the girls will stay until late Thursday. None of us gets to enjoy the entire week. Oh well... Ms new-legal-of-age-drinker needs to fly back to school on Friday so she can audition on Saturday for the spring shows. ... me, I'm looking forward to playing in the snow again.

I love being near enough to the ocean that we can get there and enjoy it, near enough to the snow that we can get there and enjoy it and not have to deal with the general weather either place. Yep. That's a definite bonus about living in the bay area. Traffic - that's a drawback, but then, I've been in worse traffic visiting my family up in Portland. (On the other hand, I don't have to drive I-880 every day.)

....

I have a singing Christmas clock that we put up every year. L'il sis gave it to us several years back. I sometimes used to think Big sis gave it to me because she is always giving me noisy things, but this was L'il sis' contribution. Every year, people tell me it would drive them crazy. It sings a different Christmas Carol every hour on the hour. And it sings a pretty good size portion of it, too! But I love it. It has a light sensor, so it knows when it's dark, be really quiet, and when it's light, sing away. The only problem has been when oldest son is up super late and leaves the lights on (which they all do, btw) - then it's singing nice and loud at 2am. That's not so much fun. But it is a good and smart clock, and I intend to put it up every year until it can't sing anymore. Then I might still put it up in memory of the chirping.... and my smart clock just told me it's 3 am. and I'd better at least try to sleep.

g'night.

Harry Potter!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is coming out in JULY!

Yes, I will be there in person to pick up my copy and get started on it right away! I just finished the 17 cassette set of "HP & the Order of the Phoenix" (book 5) on tape, and enjoyed it just as much as I did reading it the first time through. This guy who reads the books, Jim Dale, is fabulous - I don't know how he does all the different voices, and *mostly* keeps them all straight, but he does! (well, once it was someone else talking with Dumbledore's voice, but that didn't happen much)

Book Seven will be a meloncholy experience. I definitely don't want the series to end, yet I know it is not something which should go on indefinitely. I guess I'd like to have one post-script novel eventually with some adult experiences, but sometimes that doesn't seem so great, either.

In the meantime, I'll wait in joyful anticipation of the 6th year at Hogwarts...

What do you think? Any other HP fans out there? (stupid question....)

thought for the morning

Comcast has this headine today:

Bush to Sign Intelligence Bill

Isn't that an oxymoron?

coming home for Christmas

The absolute best part of Christmas is the people who come home for Christmas (and I do mean HOME). This is getting to be a bigger and bigger group of people all the time for me. My L'il sis is the only one who still lives within occasional visit distance, even though sometimes it doesn't feel that way... Big sis and family will be coming in from up north next week. Woo hoo! Pops will come in from the sunny desert next week, too.

Biggest son actually moved in here again a couple of months ago, so he's already home, but biggest daughter is due in TODAY from Boulder. Such excitement!

Life is good.

Tech Toys

Just reading an article about tech toys.

I was planning to go out today and get the older kids' shopping done. They are almost 15, almost 21 and just turned 24. Their Christmas lists consist of electronic device, electronic game, electronic this and that, and jeans. The 15 yr. old wants an iPod. The 21 yr old wants a camcorder. The 24 yr old was disappointed with his MP3 player a year or two ago because it wasn't an iPod. A new game system would probably be right up his alley this year. At least he likes movies. He's got one of the most complete DVD libraries of anyone I know, which of course, makes movie buying difficult - what doesn't he have? Turns out he's a little light on the kung-fu stuff.

Kung Fu.... brings me back to all that tech stuff - you can't just buy a nice puzzle type game, even the electronic kind, for the 15 yr old, it has to be a kung-fu fighting, automatic rifle shooting chaos game to interest him. I hate that. Have you seen Grand Theft Auto and its sequel? I can't believe they even make those. And yes, K has one of them. yuck. Good thing he's not an obsessive player. He plays once in a while, and then, it's likely to be the football game.

Shopped for the 2 year olds the other night. it was great - the toys are still cute and much less expensive, but it's getting difficult to find toys that aren't electronic, even for them! The Sweet Sounds dollhouse looked cute enough, but I wanted one that didn't talk and sing. I want Missy K to talk and sing for herself! So we went up an age level and got a couple of Sweet Street sets. Hope that works. I did knuckle under and get a LeapPad, though. sucker that I am...

Anyway - I didn't go shopping for the big people after all - it's so darn expensive. I think I'm just prolonging the agony, but I'll just see if I have a better attitude tomorrow. sigh...

One step closer...

We signed "adoptive placement" papers today! Doesn't mean a heck of a lot, but it is one step closer to those final papers. We won't get funds from the county anymore, technically, but there is an adoptive assistance program that gives funds to adoptive families. This will be very helpful in creating a college fund for our young lady.

The way I understand it, we have one more set of papers to sign in a month or so, then we can set a date with the judge to have the final adoption granted. So, if you believe in the county's ability to predict the time it takes to do this, we could be adoptive parents next month. But I don't - now, I'm just hoping it will happen before her 3rd birthday in February.

...but then, I was really hoping to have it done before the holidays, too.

oh well - one step closer!

etch a sketch

remember those great time wasters - the pre-video game phenom, Etch-a-Sketch?
I love this site. All the fun of playing with none of the etched-into-the-surface-forever lines, or the "oops" moment when all your hard work vanishes when you drop the darn thing.
Have fun!

btw - I'm over 200 now on my counter - who the heck is visiting? I've only told a handful of people... Hi, out there, whoever you are!

help - my pictures went away

Anyone know what happened to my pictures?
I added the one tonight and all of a sudden the other 3 are gone! That was way tricky - and not very nice.
I used Hello to post them to the blog, which worked just fine for the first three... if there was a limit to how many I could post, I didn't read it. And if there was a limit of three, you'd think only one of the old pics would have disappeared. hmmmm - any ideas?
.... later...
OK - who's goofing around here? - it's about 2 hours later and after much research and NO intervention on my part, they're back. It's a little too weird. But I guess I didn't do anything to cause them to go away, since I didn't do anything to make them come back. I hate technology.

I think this picture is obscured enough by hat and glasses to post here - this is our little urban chic(k). Makes me smile just to see that little face. Guess that's what it's all about.  

Stop and Go Hiking

Stop and Go Hiking!

Do it again! 

joining in the fun

Joining in the fun!

Stop and Go Hiking

So - you go hiking with a two year old. Crazy? Maybe, but she invented the funnest (yes, that IS a word - sort of) game we've played in a long time! Everyone's walking and the 2 yr old suddenly says "stop". We all think she's tired of walking and wants to be carried like any other young princess her age. Wrong. She wants everyone to stop. right now. Then go. Then stop. Then go. When we'd stop in all kinds of goofy positions, she went into hysterics. It really was pretty funny. I was armed with the camera, so just kept clicking away while she nearly collapsed laughing at her super funny sister and brother. Dad got in the swing of it after a while too.
I recommend it!
(sorry about the captions being messed up - this is my first try at using pictures.)

movies movies movies

1. Polar Express - a little weird, but delightful for adults and older kids.
Little K spent much of the time on one lap or the other. She was scared a few times. But mesmerized most of the time. At least two families with younger kids - maybe not quite 2, left early.

2. The Incredibles - didn't see it, but the boys came back singing it's praises. There is apparently a reason it's been at the top of the box office for two weeks in a row.

3. From Netflix - Monster. Yikes. Charlize had me convinced she was a total nutjob scumbag. I'm still not too sure she isn't....

4. Also Netflixed - Whoo Hoo! Wiggly Gremlins! Now, anything with Whoo Hoo in the title has got to be fun. I liked it better than many other Wiggles DVDs. Good music - fun, catchy songs. The strange people are just a part of the whole package. I've gotten over it.

5. Netflixed, natch - Family Guy - season 1 or 2, who knows which volume. They're all the same. I can't stand these, but the boys in my family think they are hysterical. I can kind of see the humor, but I have this awful reaction to the PITB baby, who naturally is supposed to be one of the funniest parts. He irritates the crap out of me. So I try to avoid the room when it's on.

panpakes and chrischris

I love the way 2 year olds talk. Sometimes it's super clear - so much so that you can't quite believe what you're hearing. Other times, they make the words their own. Little K wanted "panpakes" this morning. Y'know what the rest of us call them? yep - panpakes.

She's pretty excited about "Chris-chris" too. I usually try to repeat this one correctly to her - just think if she says it to someone else, they might think she's talking about her preschool boyfriend. (she might be, come to think of it...) She's super happy about Santa, and talks about him with the anticipation I didn't really think we'd see until next year.... until the part about sitting on his lap rears its ugly face. I fear we're destined to have pictures with Santa for her whole childhood with Daddy, or bigger K or Mom in the picture between child and Santa. I have a screaming picture of one of my children on Santa's lap. Cute as it is, I won't do that again.

Last year, one of the local newspapers ran a feature on scary Santas, complete with pictures of screaming kids. Scarred me. Scarred AND scared me. Some of these Santas were downright frightening to adults - why in the world would they be hired to don a Santa suit and scare the hell out of little kids? This isn't the article I read, but another one with the same theme. Can't find a link to the other one. But I was struck by the terror of the kids. If my little one wants to see Santa but needs a buffer - ok.

But back to the good stuff - "I like dis and I like dis and I like dis..." She can amuse herself with newspaper ads for a good 20 minutes. The toys she picks would be discarded in minutes, but she adores the pictures. Anything with Dora and Boots is a certain favorite. Doesn't matter what it is. But then, she likes the cars too. The only thing she skips is the dark pages where the "boy" stuff is. What kind of marketing is that? Boys get the dark pages, girls and babies get the bright pages... seems a little strange to me, but it's pretty darn consistent. So we like pretty much everything on the bright pages. It's all good. Gonna make shopping for Chrischris a snap this year.

dangers of reading blogs before sleep

So, I wasn't intending to spend any time at the computer today. My eyes hurt, and I've spent too much on it at work busily answering emails and fixing problems. But then I read my sister's post today and off I go down memory lane.
She talks about the Lawrence Welk show - it's a little horrifying to watch today - with our "beautiful little Mexican Seniorita from South of the Border" and other terrors. Truth is, way back when, I had a tough time watching this show... and my parents LOVED it. So, since I never particularly liked it, why did I am I still trekking down memory lane? Bobby and Cissy? The honky-tonk lady (I had to look her name up, cuz it wasn't coming to me) Joann Castle? Certainly not Myron Floren and his accordion - I hated that! And poor Arthur Duncan - I always felt sorry for him. I thought he deserved at least one other black performer to work with. I did love the Lennon sisters, though - I pretty much thought I might be Janet some day. It never worked out - that Janet thing.
But - Mitch Miller - THERE was a show! fun, bouncing balls across the screen with the words (!) so you could sing out no matter what your voice sounded like and be part of the fun. Kareoke before it's time! I couldn't learn to read fast enough. I am convinced that bouncing ball is responsible for some of my A's in reading.
So here I am reminiscing about shows from way back when, and typing on the computer with really tired eyes, all because I happened to read that post before heading back to my comfy cozy bed. Be careful what you read before bed. I'm sure I'm heading for some nightmares of some kind!
"Be kind to your web-footed friends, for a duck may be somebody's mother. Be kind to your friends in the swamp, where the weather is very very damp (pronounced "domp"). You may think that this is the end. Well it is."
How clever is that???

changing the subject

Decided not to become a political blog, despite such astonishment at the narrow-mindedness of many of my fellow citizens. The one thing I am certain of, however, is that I will personally be more politically active in the future. The pendulum is swinging too far to the right, and I'm concerned about the consequences. What has to happen before the more reasonable of the "red" voters (I know you're out there) say, "oops" and decide we'd better put a stop to this madness. I know this last election did it for me.

Back to the title and changing the subject, Halloween was great fun - little K was a very cute CU cheerleader. She did go trick-or-treating in our neighborhood, but got tired of it on the second street. This is the first year in a very long time we haven't been overloaded with candy. I'm grateful! I have a couple of really cute pictures, but one of the maddening constraints of foster parenting is that you cannot publish any pictures of the child. All those foster care posters you see? Not foster children. Cute kids on the websites? Maybe adopted former foster children, but definitely not foster kids. When the local newspaper did an article on foster parents, they came over to my house to take pictures of us. Little K had to be facing away from the camera. Bigger K was in the background playing with her. Turned out cute, but she's such a cutie, I'd sure love to be able to share that. When I put albums out on Webshots, I have to protect them and only let people see them by invitation. At her preschool, when they take pictures, they have to be careful to select pictures without her for publication. (They can post the ones with her in the classroom, though)

Other restrictions? We can't use the neighborhood kids as babysitters. To watch a foster child, you must be 18 and fingerprinted or licensed by the county/state for child care. Even Bigger K can't babysit because he's not 18 yet. DDD has been fingerprinted, and is our only respite. But wait - she's at college. oh well. Good thing we don't go out often.

Let's see - we can't travel out of the state without written permission from the court. They don't even want us to go to Tahoe without permission. Truthfully, that has never been a problem - as long as we give them a couple weeks notice, they've never botched our vacation plans yet.

We were hoping for a finalized adoption by the end of the year, but that looks most unlikely now. I think she may easily make it to her third birthday (Feb) as a foster child. While it makes me angry and frustrated sometimes, I know that there is no difference in her life now than there will be once all the paperwork is complete. It's just those little restrictions we live with.

IQ and your vote

don't know how accurate this is, but interesting nonetheless. (click on the "IQ and your vote" title.)

Hope you and yours stay healthy...

All I can say is I sure hope all you people who voted the current administration in based on "moral" issues like stem cell research and gay rights remain healthy and have wonderfully unchallenged lives.

The fact that research involving stem cells could improve, if not cure, many of today's health issues may not matter much - until it is you or your family affected. One day, you may certainly cheer to hear that a treatment now exists to make your little grandson with cystic fibrosis breathe normally and live an active life. Made possible by some forward thinking scientists and genetic research. think about it.

I'm struck by the constitution these days - the original, preamble and all. What foresight that group of men had at a time when they had no real guide, no template to follow. They had a goal that included a statement allowing basic human rights for everyone. The document they created seems brilliant in retrospect. It is vague enough to allow for growth and change of an entire nation, yet has some basic rights built in quite specifically.

Of course, as times have changed, "details" such as just WHO exactly gets to vote, and WHO exactly is included in that vague statement that "all men are created equal" has been debated, fought over and that apparently continues today.

For example - a marriage is between one MAN and one WOMAN? Well, we've done such a bang up job with that already, that 11 states decided it was time to make that an AMMENDMENT!! ??? If everyone is created equal, why not just two people, period? In fact, why is marriage included in a constitution at all? What the heck does that have to do with the running of a government? I was appalled when Dubya brought that up as a possibility with our national constitution and I am appalled at the states that decided they needed an ammendment in the absence of a national one.

Do you remember when mixed racial marriages were absolutely unacceptable? What is different about that issue and this one? The only thing I can come up with is time. Back in the day, we didn't have to worry about all those homos - they stayed in their closet where they belonged, but those negroes - we had to watch out for them. They will surely hurt our women and children. hunh??? So now, we realize it really isn't race so much that's the issue, but economics, opportunities and a myriad of other cultural issues. Gee, there are wonderful black, indian, asian, hispanic, whatever people out there along with the wonderful whites. Oh yeah, and there are some pretty nasty white folk out there too. go figure.

gonna have to take some time off from my soapbox. All I can say is, I hope you're right, you dubya folks - and I hope you and your kin stay healthy. sheesh. What I really hope is that something not too tragic will happen that will open your eyes to see beyond your little "morally constricted" world.

Election Day Madness

This is a real conversation this morning.

7:00 am ON THE DOT. ....rrriiinnnngggg...

me: "Hello."

MIL: "Are you up? I knew you would be."

me: "Oh Hi - yeah, I just took K to his early morning cross country practice. I'm still awake - sort of. "

MIL: "I remember he did that. I just wanted to make sure you read your email before you go vote. J (niece) just sent you both something that you have to see. I want to make sure when you vote, you vote the right way."

me: (growing curious and just a bit amazed - we're both 50, afterall...) "Oh?"

MIL: "You know, we can't have that monster in office - you know which one I mean... "

me: (fully awake now) "I hope you mean Bush."

MIL: "NO! Of course not - Kerry! You know what he did in Vietnam? And those things with Jane Fonda!? "

me: (ignoring the Fonda remark - I know better) "You DON'T mean the monster who ignored the rest of the world's advice and invaded a country? Not that monster?"

MIL: "Well, that doesn't matter. Doesn't anyone remember 9/11 anymore? Are 'people's" memories so short? Don't "they" remember Vietnam?" (my quotes - I know who she was referring to...)

me: "hmmmm." (I try to be the master of tact with my in-laws, and have a raw tongue from time to time to prove it) "But if you remember Vietnam and Jane Fonda, you surely MUST remember that the United Nations - that collection of people from countries all around the world, advised strongly against invading Iraq, saying there wasn't really enough evidence, and Bush did it anyway? That was only a year or so ago... "

MIL: "Well, anyway," (she's done with this liberal commie pinko) "I just wanted you to see that email, it's very interesting. "

me: "ok. I'll go see if S is awake. "

later that very same phone call.....

S did wake up to get the advice his mother needed to give her 50 year old son.... along with some other choice information. This is all second hand, but amazing nonetheless.

Did you know:

* that Kerry is a monster? (That was well documented in conversation above)

* that Teresa is Cruella deVille (still chuckling hours later about that one)

* that Kerry did something with Jane Fonda, Abby Hoffman and some Chicago 7 guy? Apparently, they were "thick as thieves!"

* that S's Uncle Al who is a "yellow dog democrat" (whatever that is...), wouldn't vote for that slime - he's a monster, you know...

* that Kerry went before a commission of some kind and said that some Americans were doing things that were against the Geneva convention back there in Vietnam?

sigh. These are real people, casting real votes. If the Cruella deVille thing wasn't so damn funny, I'd cry.