Super Exciting Day!!

So I had a super exciting day. We were on the way to St. Louis today, and were listening to our favorite radio station, which holds a contest every morning at 8:30 called audio daily double. They play a clip from a movie and a sped up song clip and you have to get them both correct to win. We listen to this every morning on our way to take the kids to school, and often times I type the number in my phone just in case, but I rarely know both the song and movie. Well today was my day, and I won!!! I was on the radio and refrained from making a complete idiot of myself while talking to Mo and Liz, the d.j.'s that host the show. It was totally awesome and I am a big dork, but hey, it's the little things that make me happy!!

Cutting boys hair....

So I have two boys with hair that grows like weeds. If I were to truely get their hair cut when needed, it would easily be every 3 weeks, and thats pushing it. Jack's hair is so thick and straight, I just have a really hard time finding the right cut for him. Pretty much short is it for him, otherwise it just stands up everywhere. Ben's is a little easier, it has the potential to be long and shaggy, but that's just not who we are, so I try to keep it pretty short also. So here's the deal, I am determined to learn to cut their hair. Not really because we can't afford to spend $20 every three weeks, it's really more of a conveniant factor, it's hard to get them there with all our schedules. So last night I decided that I was going to cut their hair. Ben's is pretty easy, although you can't really tell I cut it, because I just used the clippers, I need a lesson on using scissors. Jack's, however, I went in under the premise that I would probably end of shaving it. This is what happens, I get to a point in cutting his hair where as Andrew points out it's a backwords mullet, very short everywhere but the front and then I just have to shave it. So Andrew's been after to start cutting his hair, too, and I'm like seriously look at their hair, I will never touch your hair, because of course Jack's hair is his dad's and that's what would end up happening, shaved heads for everyone. So here are the results, and for some reason Ben thinks he has to make these funny hand gestures in all pictures now. Oh, and his hair actually looks pretty good, it just hasn't been comed in the picture. Just and FYI, Jack thinks his hair looks silly, and I tend to agree.

Snow Day + Wii = lots of fun!!!

You know you've found a winner when your 12 year old and your 3 year old can play a video game together. This has been a blast to have, all three kids can play together and enjoy it. We had friends over last night and had a baseball tournament, boxing, and bowling. The most fun, though, is the game we rented Donkey Kong Blaster, wow, it's intense. My arms hurt so bad, I don't think I'll be able to lift them over my head for a few days. I definetely need to build up my stamina for this game. The whole time we were playing the Donkey Kong game, I was like, my arms are burning, must stop playing, it was great. Oh and if you're wondering what Ben is say, it's "I'm in first mom", and you can see how happy that made Maddison.:)

Missle Shoots Down Satelite?

One has to wonder how bad for the environment this is. If all that toxic waste/fuel, whatever it is renenters the earths atmosphere, how good can that be for us. And quite frankly, what was it doing up there to begin with? This is one of those things, that while I am glad I know, I almost don't want to know. I really don't watch the news at all, any news I do get, comes from the internet mostly. I have my homepage set up with Google, and it has all the different news sites with the top stories, and today was the first I'd read about it. One would think that it would be a more talked about story. Then again, I guess you don't want to cause mass hysteria in the world.

Wii time?

So we got a Wii today! It was one of those things, Andrew was returning a movie to Blockbuster and they had one, so he bought it. We have been talking about getting one since Christmas, but could never find one and suddenly today there it was. I think I was probably more excited than the kids. I have decided I won't have to work out now, becausing playing the Wii is most definetely a work out for me.

On another note, we have this wierd rash going through our house. Not sure if they are related, I had it on Sunday, but it looked different then what Maddison or Ben has, but they both have a rash. Maddison's was just on her legs and arms, Ben's is on his cheeks, you can't really see it in the pic, but I tried. Mine, was just all over. I am beginning to think that we are allergic to our house and just need to move.

What Spice Are You? A fun little survey.

You Are Cilantro

The bad news is that there are some people who can't stand you. The good news is that most people love you more than anything else in the world. You are distinct, unusual, fresh, and very controversial. And you wouldn't have it any other way.

What Spice Are You?

Men At Work

Puts a whole new meaning to the title, huh? Pictures as promised, although, I fear I've missed some of the best ones. Maybe tomorrow. As you can see, they are abiding all safety standards. They've been towed out of our yard, because it is so muddy, the machine got stuck. I didn't take a picture of the three of them trying to throw a log weighted rope around a branch to bring it down, and I didn't get one of them up high, because I didn't want to go outside. It's so cold and windy, I feel kind of bad that I've stayed inside all day doing nothing, but I'd say the boys are having fun, if not in that man kind of way.

Cleaning House

My blog house, that is. I have been slaving over my new masthead all morning, and it's still not perfect, but oh well. There are some things in Photoshop that I am just not good at, making new mastheads are one of them. I tried to do something a lot different, ended up doing something just a little different. I also changed the music, which I know is annoying, and I will be soon changing it again as well. On a different note, my husband and his man friends are cutting down trees in our yard that were damaged by the ice storm. He rented a big bucket thingy and is hundreds of feet in the air as we speak, cutting and topping trees. I know your thinking, it's quite windy to be doing that today isn't? Well he is swaying around, with chainsaw in hand, bravely confronting the elements, in order to save $2500 bucks, which is what it was going to cost to have it done professionally. I'm sure I'll have pics for you later, although, I'm not sure, it's really cold out there.

Kick'n It Old School

And I mean really old school. I found Tiffany's I Think Were Alone Now on my music player and thought I'd toss it up for a while, oh yeah, and when I'm tired of her I'm putting Debbie Gibson up!! Brings back memories of Jr. High dances, spinning in that same circle with the boy you wouldn't even talk to during the day, but it's dark and it's your first dance, and it's Tiffany, so you give in and dance with him. Isn't it crazy, feels like just yesterday, and now I have a middle schooler going to dances, and lock ins at the church and it's just crazy how fast time flies. Sometimes you just want to make time stop, you know savor the moment. It's funny how in the moment you don't realize your making memories and then all the sudden it's gone, not to be thought about again for 20 years.

Writing....

So I don't know if you've looked at my 101 things list, but if you have you'll notice that the number one thing is to get something published. Well quite frankly, almost three years is too much time in my opinion. I'd prefer to get it done sooner than later, so I have taken on writing as my so-called job. A fellow English major was telling me that if I truely wanted to be a writer, I should treat it like a job and set aside a certain amount of time a day to "work" on it like it were my paying job. So that's what I've been doing, setting aside time every day to do this. Whether it's here, or in my journal, or poetry, something to keep the juices flowing. What I have found, though, is I don't think I have a voice. How does one know, and if in fact I don't have a voice, how do I find it. I personally kind of see myself as Carrie on Sex in the City, where there's just a constant narrative in my head. However, I don't think that shows up in my writing very often. So how did you discover your voice, what do you do to find your nitch in the writing world?

Day 2 of child home from school sick...

Only he's not really "sick", just has pink eye, therefore, can't go to school. I have to say, just writing this, my eye is itching. I'm sure the whole house will have it by the end of the week, because hey that's just how we roll. On the plus side, with all the sickness in the house, I have been cleaning like a mad woman, and our house is just starting to smell sparkly clean. Here are a couple of pics, one of the "sick" kid, as you can see from the pic, he feels real bad.:) The second is of my new wall display. I am so proud of myself, I am not real good at decorating, and I did this all on my own, so this is huge. By the way, the pics aren't crooked, I just didn't take a straight picture and was too lazy to correct it.

The Sickness Reigns Again.....

So the Lear's just can't seem to win these days. We can't seem to make it through a week without someone getting something. Last night Jack woke up with a fever, and this morning woke up with his eyes glued shut with gunk. And to make it even more fun, Andrew has been throwing up since about 4am. We just can't seem to escape the illness in this house. It makes me want to clorox my entire house from top to bottom. Hopefully we will be finished with all the sickness for a while, in the meantime, I am ready for summer.

Child Rearing....

So last night was the parent teacher conference for Maddison. I was not looking forward to it for the simple fact that she has had sort of a rough semester behavior wise and as a parent I of course feel responsible. I had gotten her grades in the mail that day, and new that they were mostly A's with just a couple of B's, so it's not like I was worried about that, just the socializing that has been getting her into to so much trouble, that her teachers have called me and they actually had to take some disciplinary action. Now I do take some issue with the fact that her teachers can't figure out something to keep her in line, I mean if she's getting A's, how bad can she be. Well I hadn't seen Maddison all day when I went, because I had to work Jack's parent teacher conference for PTA, and I just went straight to Maddison's, having not talked to her yet. Well, surprise, surprise, the first thing her teacher says is, did Maddison tell you about the trouble she got into today? Uh no, I haven't seen her, well she got caught cheating on a quiz.:( So she then proceeds to tell me that she let the boy sitting next to her cheat off her, and they got caught. Now I know this is probably going to qualify me as a bad parent, but I had just the slightest bit of pride upon hearing this, because I was the kid who cheated of the smart kids, and clearly Maddison is one of the smart kids. So I am supposed to go home and come up with some kind of punishment for being the smart kid, and I gotta tell you, it's hard. I'm sure all parents have these revelations that they just don't know everything, and well as my kids are getting older, so are their problems, and I just don't always feel equipped. Honestly, she's being punished at school, so I really don't feel like me doing anything else is really going to make an impact at this point. So we have not punished her yet, she knows we're dissappointed, not that she cares, but we told her we will think about an appropriate punishment. This child rearing thing stinks, not knowing all the answers is one of the scariest things to realize as a parent.

If there's one movie to watch this year.....

It has to be this one. Now this is coming from someone who rarely gets to go to the movies, so I am a little behind on the movie watching. Seriously, though, I will own this movie. We went to see Juno tonight for my birthday. I love it, awsome film, awsome soundtrack. It makes you laugh, it makes you cry, it is amazing. I think it should win all the awards it is up for, the cast is amazing and I just fell in love with the actress who plays Juno, Ellen Page, she was amazing. Really, if you haven't seen it, I can't say enough good things about it.

101 in 1001 challenge

So in honor of my birthday tomorrow, I am making a list. I'm joining the ranks of the 101 things to do in 1001 days. I am making myself accountable for the things I want to accomplish. When I was young, I had goals that I wanted to accomplish, and oddly enough, there were a certain amount of them that I wanted to have done before I was 32. Well, most of them have not been done, so I am getting serious now and writing them down. I encourage you to join in the fun and make your list too. I have until November 1, 2010, so wish me luck!!


The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

001. Get something published.
002. Recycle everything I can.
003. Learn to play guitar and harmonica.
004. Go to Europe.
005. Take kids on a vacation in an R.V. visiting historical sites.
006. Sell my photography, not just portraits.
007. Visit art galleries and musuems.
008. Go to the Oprah Winfrey show.
009. Put all my pics in frames.
010. Go to at least 32 concerts a year.
011. Start an exercise plan and stick with it.
012. Hang curtains or window coverings in living room and dining room.
013. Go on mission trip with church to foreign country.
014. Volunteer for an organization that I believe in.
015. Get a job doing something I love.
016. Buy a Macbook Pro
017. Buy a Canon 5d
018. Read classic books to my kids, i.e. Pride and Prejudice.
019. Pray before every meal.
020. Donate blood.
021. Watch sunrise at the beach.
022. Learn a foreign language.
023. Buy and shoot with nothing but a Holga for a month.
024. Exhibit my photography in a public place.
025. Go to New York for dinner and a Broadway play.
026. Go snowboarding/skiing with a group of adult friends.
027. Go on a girls weekend away with friends.
028. Get out of debt.
029. Have a third car before my daughter can drive.
030. Take a family camping trip, tents, no electronics.
031. Go fishing with my kids more often.
032. Make family game night a priority.
033. Find an adult basketball league to play in.
034. Clean closets and storage rooms and donate the excess.
035. Take a Yoga class.
036. Plan financially for Christmas gifts and have leftover money.
037. Meet an online friend in person.
038. Visit Gabe and Becca in London before they move.
039. Remodel kitchen. New House!!
040. Read a book a week.
041. Start a book club with group of girls.
042. Start a cooking club.
043. Knit a sweater.
044. Learn to knit Christmas stockings, so the tradition can be passed down.
045. Go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras.
046. Dust the baseboards in my house at least twice a year.
047. Grow all the food we eat for a season.
048. Buy organic only.
049. Eat vegitarian for a week.
050. Get rid of t.v.'s for a time "getting rid of cable".
051. Bike together as a family once a month.
052. Get golf lessons.
053. Read the Bible daily.
054. Go to California wine country.
055. Write a letter to all of my kids, documenting their birth.
056. Take ballroom dancing lessons Got them for birthday.
057. Get a cat.
058. Take a road trip by myself for myself.
059. Teach a class.
060. Learn to use my external flash.
061. Buy a popcorn machine for movie nights.
062. Run a half marathon.
063. Have a picinic.
064. Take up hiking.
065. Go splunking.
066. Shoot with film camera and develop pictures in my own darkroom.
067. Eat at a five star restaurant.
068. Get all my home video's put in dvd form.
069. Get yard landscaping done. Came with new house!
070. Teach dog to catch frisbee"working on it".
071. Give more money to charity.
072. Get a hammock.
073. Take daily walks.
074. Learn to like coffee without sugar and cream.Okay this is just silly, not gonna happen.
075. Print all pictures from my computer.
076. Sing karoke at a bar.
078. Go dancing.
079. Get hardwood floors in living and dining room. New House!
080. Watch at least one documentary a month.
081. Go Scuba diving
082. See the Northern Lights
083. Go to Alaska
083. Take my mom and sister to Italy to see where my ancestors lived.
084. Take a painting class.
085. Make a playroom out of one of the boys rooms and make them share a bedroom.
086. Buy a Wii for the family.
087. Read all the books from my English Novel class again.
088. Plant a tree for each of my kids and have ceremony celebrating their life.
089. Document our family tree.
090. Get another tatoo.
091. Watch sunrise over mountain.
092. Wake up before my kids every day.
093. Watch all of Sex and the City, dvd set.
094. Take a photo a day for a month.
095. Buy original artwork for house.Getting something for anniversary.
096. Build a treehouse.
097. Make homemade bread every week for at least a month.
098. Buy only local.
099. Somehow meet Julia Roberts.
100. Learn to love my husband/children well. work in progress
101. Do everything on this list.

Tomorrow's the big day!

So get out there and vote, no matter who your voting for you can't make a difference unless you vote. This video is inspring, and all the more reason to vote for this guy.

Snow Day!!

Ben and Libby had a little fun today in the snow. Sadly it looks like it's not going to be there tomorrow. Jack was really dissapointed not to get to play in the snow, because of school. Maybe we'll get another snow before winters over, I have my hopes. I will say, though, that I am ready for spring. Ready to drink wine on the patio while grilling something good to eat. I am a little tire of the cold and will ready for the next season.