American Idol!!!

American Idol has started and I'm so excited. I watched it last night and I'm watching it right now. I'm still amazed at the people who can't sing and they don't know it. Have they never recorded themselves singing and listened to it. Are their family members deaf. I'm not that good of a liar. If my children sounded as bad as some of these people, I'd have to ask them nicely not to sing in the house. Especially, if they were 23, living at home, and expected me to feed and cloth them until they made it big. McDonalds is always hiring. Now, if they brought me a McFlurry with M&M's home every day after they got off work, we could maybe work something out.

Couple of Things

Konman has started bringing friends over to play with. It is such a weird, but cool thing. It's fun to watch these boys interact as they hang out and just play. The weird thing is that I finally met one of the boy's mothers after taking him to church with us. She let him go to church with us and he gets into the car and I ask him if I should call his Mom and talk to her and he doesn't know his phone number. This boy's mom is a single parent and he is the sweetest and nicest boy. The other boy's mother I have never met and when I took his coat to his house one night the 15 year-old sister answers the door. I called and told them I was coming over. If I was the Mom I would've met me at the door and introduced myself. One afternoon he was over here and the boys were on the computer. I heard music playing and I thought I should go check it out. This 9 year-old boy has a MYSpace page that says he likes hot girls. WHAT! I promptly told them that MYSpace if off limits. This boy isn't so sweet(He called Konrad a butthole and jerk on the bus) and he's not my favorite.

I knew I'd have to deal with some of this stuff eventually. It just seems so soon.

It's been awhile

So, it's been awhile since I posted. Some of it is because I've definitely been busier, but partly because there hasn't been as much to say. It's so weird if I blog daily there is usually some story I have to share, but if I wait awhile I forget my stories (I'm turning into my mother. If this continues I'll be lucky if I call my children by there correct names in a couple of years.). I can tell you I had a fun Christmas with some creative planning, but I'm having trouble remembering specific stories. That is my lesson on why I should blog more often.

I Live with Rainman

Maybe it is because our van is in the shop and we are driving DarkTimber's little Isuzu pick-up around town. All I know is that after driving around town with Konman, yesterday, I realized that I live with Rainman. This is what I hear as I am driving. "School bus crossing, speed limit 45, speed limit 40, construction ahead, Hotel 1 mile, Mcdonalds .... I like Mcdonalds, we should eat there again, speed limit 45, stop light ahead......blah, blah blah, you get the picture. Now, I am very happy that my 2nd grade son is reading, in fact I'm glad he's excited to read. I just wish he would read quietly to himself. I guess, I should just be happy that he's not rocking back and forth while he's doing this.

Relaxed and It Feels Good

So I'm sitting on my couch in my mostly clean and somewhat organized house. My laundry is mostly done and put away and the kids rooms are mostly clean and somewhat organized. My house hasn't been in this good of shape for awhile and it has been very hard for me to concentrate and focus on much of anything. Now this isn't the only reason for my lack of concentration and focus, but is sure has added to it. The best part is that it has been this way since Friday night and it has helped me to be more relaxed, focused, and better organized this weekend. Shoot the kids and I even made cookies, played games, and watched a movie together. I just got to say that "It feels good!"

I'm Not Making Any Promises

I must apologize profusely for not blogging. I just haven't had much time. I noticed that my last blog was about the time I got my real estate license, and I've been busy, I'm still working my part-time job at the athletic club, volunteering at the kid's school on a weekly basis, and I've been putting in atleast 30-35 hours a week doing real estate. Needless to say my house is an awful mess and I'm always running around trying to remember what I'm doing. The good news is that I'm starting to figure out how to balance things, somewhat, well as best as I can. And I'm enjoying the real estate business. So, I'm not making any promises, but I am going to make an effort to spend a few minutes blogging weekly. I really enjoy doing it and I have missed my blog friends and what they are up to. Here's hoping for more posts!

Toad Hunting

The other day it rained here and my children had a bunch of fun finding baby toads. I'm guessing their legs are extra tender when compared to frog legs. Anyway, they caught 6 each and they were only like an inch long. They enjoyed torturing them or as they called it "playing with them". The Kirstenator used the top from a milk jug as a boat for them. The maximum capacity for that boat was 3 toad babies, if she added a fourth the boat would start to sink. Of course, we got the million dollar question "Can we keep them?" Exactly what am I supposed to feed 12 toad babies? Besides the fact that I don't want those in my house. I just know atleast one would get out and I would be the one to step on it or to smell its rotting carcass behind something immovable. Anyhow, Darktimber(my husband) saved the day. He decided that baby toads eat baby insects and since we didn't have any handy we should set them free. I let them torture them for awhile longer, because how many baby toads can say they've been on a boat ride. And then I made them set them free. It was a sad moment for the Kirstenator, but she rebounded and is now trying to make a pond in our back yard so that they can come back here to live. I've included some pics. The last one is when I told her she needed to let the toads go.

Chapter 4

After reading chapter 3 and 4, I found myself not wanting my daughter to ever get wounded. When she is a woman I don’t want her to ever feel some of the hurts I have felt. I don’t want her to be a wounded women. I was on a mission to be the perfect Mom and to tell my husband how to be the perfect Dad. Then I realized how impossible that idea was. If I can teach her what I’m learning, then she can with God’s help overcome these hurts before they become wounds. If I show her as she is growing up how to clean and bandage her small wounds. When the big hurts come her way she will be able to perform first aid on her wounds so that they won’t become infected. If I can teach her this, hopefully, she can avoid the trap so many of us women have fallen into. Instead of being busy cleaning her wounds she can be busy making a difference in the world.

Chapter 3

I have a 5-year-old daughter and after reading this chapter, I have begun to see my daughter asking “Am I lovely?”. It’s not that she is doing anything different than before I have just become more aware of it. For example, when she dresses up in her princess attire the first thing she does is prance around in front of her dad. She just looks at him and continues doing it until he says something. Sometimes my husband is in the middle of something and doesn’t see her right away, and the longer she waits the more the look on her face changes. At first I see anticipation, then just a smile, then she’ll call his name, and if he still has not said anything she gets a look of fear and worry. And once he says something she has a perma-grin on her face as she dances away excitedly, and the better the compliment the bigger the smile and better the dancing. Keep in mind that if you are trying to fix the air conditioner when it is above 90 degrees in the house, as a man, the last thing on your mind is your daughter fishing for compliments. Yes, in a perfect world he and I would notice every attempt and always stop and say the right thing. However, we aren’t perfect people.

I think when we were little girls we all did stuff like this. Only for me it was “Am I lovely when I hit the softball? Or ride my bike?” Between being that little girl and growing up, I became wounded. Then I became some weird mesh of the dominating, desolate, and indulging women and behind almost all my fears and hurts, I usually find some fear of abandonment.

Stolen! But very funny, especially #12

I stole this from Wannabe Hippie's blog. I couldn't resist myself. It is just too funny. I'm kind of like the Kirstenator at JUCO. This girl walked by her with a big ol' thing of cotton candy and she just reached out and grabbed a bite. When I asked her why she did it she said, "I couldn't control my fingers. I just have so much trouble getting under control." I totally knew what she meant, I myself had been resisting the urge. It just looked so good!

Every year, English teachers from across the country can submit their collections of actual analogies and metaphors found in high school essays. These excerpts are published each year to the amusement of teachers across the country. Here are last year's winners.....
1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.
2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.
3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.
4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E. Coli, and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.
5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.
6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.
7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.
8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.
9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.
10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.
11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.
12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.
13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.
14. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.
15. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan's teeth.
16. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.
17. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River.
18. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.
19. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.
20. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.
21. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.
22. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.
23. The ballerina rose gracefully en Pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.
24. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.
25. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.

Chapter 2

I know, I'm late getting this out once again. I hope this doesn't become a habit. Things have been a bit crazier for me than usual. I started reading some of the girls comments and then I didn't want them to change my thoughts so I quit reading the girls thoughts until I could get mine out here. Although I did read enough to figure out that this was a fairly controversial chapter. While I didn't enjoy this chapter as much as I had hoped. I did love the idea of creation being made into a musical. What an awesome idea. I found myself picturing it as if I was sitting in the theatre watching it. Also, I have embraced the fact that I and all women are desperately needed to support our men in many different ways. I needed to be reminded that I was created in God's image, not the world's image or the perfect christian wife/mother image either. I find myself trying to fit into those last two images instead of embracing God's image for me. Sorry, it is short and to the point and I probably should have elaborated a bit more. Hopefully, I will do better next week.

Bible study

I just started doing this bible study online. I love the concept and I am really interested doing this study with women from all over America. Some of these women are published writers, which is a bit intimidating. I don't know what I expected, but even though we are all different, we still all have a lot that is the same. It's pretty cool. This week we did Chapter 1 of the book Captivating. I thought it was going to be a pretty mild post like "Yeah, I'm a woman and I agree." Well, I kind of got blindsided. Here's the part of my post I'm willing to share with the world.


A few years back it was brought to my attention, by a wise woman, that not every Christian woman was made to fit into the exact same mold. That there are different needs within each relationship, and that each marriage, church, and each relationship have different needs. I thought I had taken that advice to heart. I thought I was trying to figure out where God wanted me and what he wanted me to do. After reading this chapter I realized that I wasn’t really doing that, because I wasn’t guarding my heart. They quoted Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” In fact, I would say I have put my heart out there and it has gotten a good beating. I have been putting my heart in others expectations of me and not in God. God created me in his own image and as long as I’m striving to perfect his image he will protect my heart. This is going to be one of those things “easier said than done”.

I guess I'm a bit disappointed in myself. Just this week I got into a fight with woman at church. The fight was over parenting styles. I stood up for myself and I put my heart out there. Unfortunately, My heart was so raw that I let my emotions and temper get the best of me. I know my husband and I are parenting the way God wants us to and instead of standing firm on that, I let her expectations of me hurt me and I found myself busy worrying about what others thought of me.

The Red-Neck Wedding

First off, I have to let you know that I have been anxiously awaiting having the time to post about this event. Just thinking about it makes me laugh and then I sober up when I realize that I'm just as red-necked as the rest of them, since the bride was my cousin. Lets see... Where should I start? I guess at the beginning.

Well, I knew it was going to be a different experience, when I walked into the rehearsal(The Kirstenator was the flower girl) and the bride who is 2 months pregnant was drinking a beer. That thought just kept getting confirmed as time went on. The Best man was missing a tooth and another groomsmen had a glass eye. As the guests were arriving for the wedding I noticed that atleast one brought his own 12 pack and it wasn't like he had discriminating tastes, it was Busch. As the grandparents were seated and the bridesmaids walked in they didn't play any music, therefore everyone just kept talking as if nothing was going happening(my aunt compared it to being in an auction house). Then came the time for the bride to come down the aisle, the photographer had to change to a new roll of film so she told the bride and her father to wait while everyone stared at them(atleast the ones who weren't still talking). Then finally they could walk down the aisle, so they cued the guy with the boom box in the back of the room to start the music. Unfortunately, he accidentally played the first 8 notes of "I walk the line" Also, unfortunately, my great aunt recognized the song and said rather loudly, "That was I walk the line." Tell me how does the "Wedding March" and "I Walk the Line' get put on the same CD? They said their vows in about 3 minutes flat and then it was time for the maid of honor, my other cousin, to sing her song. I don't know if it was a mistake or what, but the guy with the boom box played the CD with the words on it. Well, anyhow, my cousin just sang along with the CD. Atleast, I think she was. I was sitting three rows from the front and to me it looked like she was lip syncing, but she was definitely feeling the music. Whatever was going on, I couldn't hear her singing, and when the song ended everyone clapped for her. It was so bizarre. Have you ever been to a wedding where they clapped for the music? It was a first for me. So now we can move onto the reception. It was hard to keep a straight face as my grandma commented on how well my cousin sang. Needless to say, that by this time I was starting to get the giggles and everywhere I turned it just kept getting harder to resist. It could have been the fact that the three kegs of beer were gone before the cake was cut. There were around 80 guests and 20 of them were my family and ultra conservative. My family accounted for about 5 cups of beer. Therefore, that leaves you with 60 people devouring 3 kegs of beer. Now in their defense there was no other beverage offered to drink except champagne. To top it all off, guess what they served us to eat? Just guess?..... Now, I know atleast one of you guessed correctly and you were right, Manwhich on stale buns. It was a feast fit for kings, complete with pork and beans. That's like one of my husbands favorite meals and when I fix it the kids don't even want to eat it. My uncle had to order pizza because there wasn't any Manwhich left by the time he went through the buffet. I guess you call it a buffet, I don't know? As a finale to the evening my ultra conservative aunt was offered a bowl to smoke by some guy who to quote him, "Dude I just smoked two bowls and I'm drunk." To which she says,"I don't even know what a bowl is!"

Yes, a fun time was had by all! Atleast all with a sense of humor. Well, I had a good time!

I've Returned....

From my life of studying and it was worth every bit of it. I passed my test, on my first try! Yeah, for me! So now I'm in the midst of figuring out who I want to work for. I'm praying that God will guide me to the right brokerage. I guess you could say that I'm excited and nervous to see what the future brings. I hope it is full of blessings!

Studying

I have been using my precious computer time to study. I have been trying to squeeze in as much studying as possible. I am nearing the end and then I will once again become a bloggin-mama. Please bear with me and have patience. Thanks!

When Did She Get So Big?

After school I let Konrad ride his bike up and down our street. Our street is kind of curvy, so, I give him boundaries. Partially so I can see him if I look out my door. Also, because lately his brain has been in another galaxy and if he saw something or someone he likes he would just take off until he no longer knew where he was, kind of like a dog. Only I can't put tags on my son(but he has had his shots). Anyway, after I told him he could ride his bike, the Kirstenator asked if she could ride the scooter. Since she tends to be accident prone I told her,"Yes, as long as you wear a helmet and your knee and elbow pads." Not long after that she came back inside wearing the prescribed attire and asked me "Mom, where are my boundaries?" My initial reaction was to tell her she wasn't allowed to leave my side, ever. In the end I did give her boundaries - She had to stay on the driveway. All of a sudden the driveway seemed really far away and in the middle of a busy intersection. I guess it is just another sign of things to come. Yesterday, I had to register her for Kindergarten. I think, I might just miss her whinyness when she goes to school.

Getting His Money's Worth

So, I have this friend. Well I have more than one and a few of them have children similar in age to mine. This particular friend has a boy the same age as Konman. This friend's boy is a lot like other boys and men and he just can't keep himself from touching that one body part. You know the one that us girls and women don't have. You know that one body part that the boys have to keep grabbing to make sure it is still there. Well, anyway, last weekend Konman's baseball team played this boys team and I had the pleasure of watching the baseball game with my good friend, L. We had a great time watching the game as she kept count of how many times he grabbed his junk. She had made a deal with him that for every time he grabbed his junk he had to pay $.05 and if he went the entire game without doing it she would pay him $.25. When she initially told him about the deal his first response was, "But I don't have that much money." Unfortunately for him, she has started paying him for pulling weeds and now he has a fair amount of money. Atleast he did until after the game. By the end of 1 1/2 innings he was up to $.65. I don't know what the final tally was, but I started to feel bad him and I found myself thinking, " OK, kid if your going to do it, hang on to that puppy and make sure you get your money's worth."

Sneaky Like A Snake

So on Tuesday night my father-in-law shows up at my house. Unannounced! I have been feeling like crap. Therefore my house is trashed. We are talking badly trashed. So he catches my off guard and embarrassed. Here is how things went down.

He says,"Can I have the kids on Saturday Morning and take them out for lunch."
I say,"Konman had a baseball game and has to be home by 12:30pm."
He says,"No Problem."
He then turns to the kids, who are excited about spending time with Opa, and says,"So you kids want to go with me on Saturday and hold up signs?"
The kids in their innocence say,"Oh yeah! We'll get to be with Opa."
I say,"Are you using my children?"
He says, "Yeah, I'm going to have them hold up signs at the blank."(I can't remember what it is called, but it is a political event that decides whose name is on the ballot first)

Call me crazy, but isn't this something he should have asked me about with full disclosure? Before asking me in front of the kids. Keep in mind that anytime he wants to take the kids to hang out with them he asks in the exact same way. I thought he just wanted to spend time with the kids. I am pissed. The more I think about it, the madder I get.

Now I am in a quandry. The kids who have no clue what is going on, and they are excited to hold up signs for Opa(who is not running for anything, except most deceptive grandfather and worst communicator). To make matters worse one on Konman's friends from school who is in his class, on his baseball team, and a close enough friend that they were both at a sleep over last weekend for another friend. Well, this friend's dad is running against the guy Opa is supporting. When I told Opa that Konman was friends with this kid, Opa says,"Well that's to bad." I could have pinched his head off. Now, I am contemplating what to do. I might call it off even though the kids are excited. I feel like the issue needs to be confronted, but I think my husband should do it. Opa is also my husbands boss and he doesn't want to cause trouble with his dad. Nobody stands up to this guy. What to do? What to do? and how to do it nicely?

Help! My Body Is Under Attack!!!

It all started on Saturday night with the bladder infection from hell!!! At 11:30 Saturday night I was peeing blood. We don't have health insurance so I tried all my home remedies and they didn't work. I was finally able to get in and see the doctor Monday afternoon. I got my antibiotics and awaited healing. Tuesday Morning I woke up feeling bad and slept most of the morning. I went in to work at noon and left an hour later with a fever. I had gotten the flu(sore throat, sinus drainage) or something. I had a fever Tuesday night and got my period. Slept most of Wednesday. Was feeling better Thursday so I was able to get some stuff done. I had a fever again last night, but I'm feeling better this morning. I haven't been this sick in a long time. Hopefully, this thing is working it's way out of my body. I wish it would clean my house on it's way out.

Fear Is....

watching your son play catcher and knowing that he isn't wearing a cup. Shoot! We weren't even sure he was wearing underwear. I just kept thinking....one bad bounce and we're in trouble. Oh Lord, please, no foul tips or plays involving a throw home, please. But no worries, as the 2nd generation of family jewels remained untouched. With only a couple close calls. Thank you, Lord!