Quirky Parenting Rules

This reminds we of my sister-in-law so much. Mostly the one about not listening to whiners. Her kids are flat out trained not to whine. I love all these rules. They make so much sense, even to me. Feel free to steal them. I think I'll get a sign made with the rules on it. he he.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/parenting/06/21/par.quirky.discipline/index.html

goats

my insane brothers each bought a goat for my mother to take care of. The problem with this is that they penned them right next to the year old labradors that take offense at anything that moves in any way around them besides people. not good. the puppies at a year old and neutered, were just getting used to staying around the house and behaving themselves, and now they wont be able to be let out just to run around because they will annoy (EAT) the goats. i find this immensely unfair. i'm too far away to be an advisor about it, but it seems awfully mean to me. great big dogs like that should not be penned up because someone else wanted to make goat noises every once in a while when the talk about them.

foot, revisited

I wore socks to bed last night, to prevent the inevitable waking up screaming when my toenail ripped. Well, I took off my sock this morning, and to my dismay, a big chunk was gone. Glad it didnt hurt when it went, but really upset that it is gone. For whatever reason my nails are really weak and they basically just snap off. I try not to let them get long at all, because when they do, they rip into the pink practically. so far it doesnt hurt, but i can't imagine that it will do anything other than cause a screaming infection. i will be treading very carefully for a while.

Commentary on those worried about gays

Okay, so for those of you that dont' know. I'm straight. Yeah, married for 6 years and proud of it. But I did have a few friends in college that weren't, straight. Does that make them crooked? I digress. Anyway, for those worried about gay people, or who even go so far as to complain about them... ask yourself WHY? Are you SO HOT that every person, male or female wants you? Get over yourself...I will speak to males because they are so 2-faced in this, they think 2 women going at it is hot, but that 2 men is wrong, umm yeah THAT makes sense. I had the opportunity to practically giggle myself to sleep because of a comedian on tv last night that put it into words that I never could express on my own. Do you think some guy is just going to come up behind you at the ATM and poke a hole in the back of your pants. NO!

Onto my own commentary: You, as a rational human being, wouldn't attack any woman at an ATM, so why would another guy attack you? And you're so hot to another guy, as you're in your beer stained shirt getting cash to pick up a 6 pack and a case of Huggies. Trust me, guys, if a guy's gaydar was off just a little bit and did approach you, he still has to convince you to go somewhere with him and both of you take off your pants before anything can possibly happen to scar you for life. Oh yeah, and then you'd have been a willing participant... so... why worry? One (or two or a million) less guy in competition to you in dealing with women, getting a wife, raising your own kids. What exactly is the problem? 999 times out of a 1,000, a gay guy is not even going to approach you, and the one time in a thousand, he's going to figure it out within talking to you for 5 minutes. Unless you yourself are gay and denying it, in which case, get over yourself and tell the truth.

My personal opinion is that we shouldn't judge anyone based on their sexual orientation. So there's a little more love in this world, is that such a bad thing? I also believe that God doesnt make mistakes, so if someone's gay, then they were made that way and we should treat it just as if they had brown versus blue eyes or gray versus brown or blonde hair. It's something we simply ignore about a person unless we are interested in them as a mate. That's just the way they are. Get over yourself and let them be!

Yes, I'm boring

Okay so for those of you who read in the beginning, I hope you're not completely bored and decide not to keep reading. I don't have a lot going on right now, my life revolves around waiting for a job to appear and what's on tv right now. Admittedly, neither is very interesting. Bear with me, or better yet, tell me what you want to know.

Hip hop language

Because i'm not working right now, I have time to watch tv. This is a blessing and a curse. However, I did see part 2 of a dialogue series that included some of the older hip hop artists as well as some other people that I have no idea who they are. Anyway, the point was that they were discussing the use of the words b***ch and ho in rap and hip hop music. One of the older artists said that the constant use of these words was due to a poor upbringing and that it could only be changed by making all people not poor (basically). And Oprah was going WHAT! You, as record label people, and we as consumers, if we refuse to buy them, tell them to clean up, then they will. They held it up to Don Imus as if there was any comparison. I really don't agree, I say there has always been, even before there were separate races, or any other separation, that women were considered less, because men have some sort of inferiority complex or something. I have always been less than appreciative of anyone who stomps all over anyone else to get somewhere, even if it's for their own satisfaction. And women, perhaps because we've been treated as less since the dawn of time by our equals, somehow don't stick up for ourselves and for each other enough. I don't think it's alright to call women b***ch or ho either one, one is the name reserved for an animal, and the other is one that is diminuitive of the word whore, which in essence is reserved for women who have multiple sexual partners-possibly for a living. So instead of being a great woman, who may be a wife, mother, caregiver, teacher, activist, or saint, we're taken down to an animalistic, or the level of one who works the streets for a living. I find it unfair that every woman, should in one stroke, be taken down to such a level. And, would any of those hip hop artists call their mother, or sister something like that? I think not. And then, these fabulous men on the panel, are saying, oh we all have daughters, we tell her she's a goddess that she can do or be whatever she wants, that she should be treated with respect. But then they don't seem to want to do anything about it. They just say, oh well, they will have records sold anyway, we can't do anything. Talk about talking out of both sides of your mouth. So a quest: Stand up for your sisters, no matter the race, profession or ideals. Don't just tell your daughter she's a goddess, show her respect, demand that BOTH of you be treated with respect, always show respect to others of us out there in the world. Maybe with them will come the mutual command for respect that they deserve.

poor foot

you know i thought that 99% of my troubles with the feet were over with.
And tonight, my husband had his steel toed size 12 boots on, and low and behold
we both turn around at the same time and my toenail gets smacked onto his steel toes.
I hobble to a chair, and my toenail on the only side that was not worked on by the podiatrist, is cracked up the middle and over to the side. Right now it hasn't ripped off, but it certainly hurts. Which means it will likely rip off and be infected. And I'll have to have another surgery, yet again. i hate this. I think it's over with and this has to happen. sheesh!

Kraft deli creations

Well hey I tried the kraft deli creations sandwich that you microwave and have a hot sandwich. If you know someone who does the fast food thing to get something hot, and want to lower their fat intake or stem some bad habits, but they're not willing to go to too much trouble or take leftovers, this is a great way to get them something decent to eat that's easy to throw together at work if there's a microwave. If you want me to forward a message to you that allows you to get a free coupon and other (about half price) coupons, let me know.

The one I tried was honey ham and swiss. I'm not much of a cheddar person and I prefer ham to turkey. There are a few options that they have so far. Basically, you get a little kit where everything is shrink wrapped (lots of plastic, so that sucks) anyway, each part is separate so if you don't like something, you just don't put it on. The kit contained a good portion of ham, a skinny piece of cheese, a sub roll, a packet of mayo and a packet of dijon mustard. I saved the mayo for another use. No reason to microwave mayo IMO. You put the sandwich on the box and microwave it. It was pretty tasty I thought. I split it with hubby and he wasn't as impressed (mustard), they're too expensive for me to eat every day, but for someone who actually has a job, it wouldn't be a big hassle. Just buy enough for the week on the weekend. If you had a portion of chips and an apple or something, that would be plenty for lunch. And easy to grab and go in the morning, the bread won't get soggy and it takes a very short time to put together. I dont think either of us liked the mustard, but the actual food was good quality. I'm thinking that it was 11 grams of fat total, so the cheese was definitely higher in fat, or the sandwich meat was not as fat free as I thought, but overall that's not bad compared to a Whopper and fries.

job possibility

Just 2 weeks of vacation-like atmosphere and I have a 2nd interview, this one at the place of business on Friday morning. It's good in a way because I'd probably eat my way through the cabinet if I sat here all the time, but I'm nervous. This is the type of job I would really like, really want, but, well, I don't have any experience per se in what the job entails. It makes me very happy to think I may get the job, but I am nervous all the same. I have driven there and back twice tonight so I can reasonably get there, I think, and we may do it again tomorrow night to see if I do any better. The problem with the time of night we are going is that it's almost completely difficult to see without sunglasses, but almost sundown. Therefore it should be lighter traffic (9am) and the sun behind me, which should make it easier to see the turns. It's about a 15 minute drive, which isn't too bad. And if not, then, hey, I got called for a second interview on a job I think I would really like. Cool!

Cranky person

you know, right now i'm a pretty cranky person. When we walked through our new apartment, it was totally clean, no apparent issues. We have had to do some minor things that weren't a big deal, replacing soft squishy toilet seats that had apparently been cleaned and then put down, which made them MOLD! Seats are only $5 apiece so no big deal. It was a quick replacement and pretty inexpensive, we wouldnt have kept the soft seats anyway. Also, we have purchased and replaced the weatherstripping around the doorways and have bought new bottom of the door items to keep bugs out because they keep coming in. rolly pollys or pill bugs, no big deal, just annoying for them to be crawling around. yuck! now I'm really cranky, because we have a whole closet, which would be perfect for a pantry or coat closet, that is completely unusable. Someone in a NON-PET apartment, apparently had a cat and/or litter box in the closet. Um. Yuck. We got a NON-PET apartment for a reason--no urine anywhere. Go figure. Baking soda didn't work, even open in a flat container (which worked for the fridge and freezer in our temporary place, when someone cleaned and left it closed, which molded. ick!) so we're hoping the vinegar will. But I can't stand the smell of vinegar without getting sick, so Mr. Mouse will have to do it. We can't leave the closet door open because it's so bad that it takes over the whole place and makes us gag. If you leave it closed it gets worse and worse.

So besides cleaning it, do we complain and have the owner take up the tile and clean and replace it, since it was supposed to be pet free? Or do we suck it up and take it as it is since we already have been here for 2 weeks.

Earring:Found

Whew. When Mr. Mouse got home, he extended the couch, asked me to go for a flashlight, and said, oh, never mind! And he found it. I burst into tears. Umm. I ran out of birth control pills since we moved and don't have another doctor yet. I certainly hope the tears thing doesnt go on and on. I used to cry at sad songs and happy commercials during that time of the month but otherwise, not so much. Hmm. Me no likey. Oh well!

lost earring

any clues on how to find a lost earring? usually i just get to ground level and look for the shinyness, but i dropped it sitting on the couch and its teeny tiny. i have no idea where it went, if it bounced, fell into the sofa cushions, or what. it's one of a pair of diamonds, the only ones i have. sigh!

Moving twice in 2 weeks sucks

Yes, i know, everything seems to suck these days, but moving 2 times in 2 weeks is definitely one of them. We just got everything put down, the bed put together, etc. and we're working on getting all of our services hooked up. right now we're connected via someone's wireless somehow, but we are getting ours this afternoon, so then we wont be stealing it on accident after that I guess.

we are also getting basic cable which to my delight seems to include all the cable channels i would watch anyway. also we are signed on for some movie thing to get a reduced price for a year. no biggie, i guess. i never watch the movie channels or anything anyway.

we bought a new bed and put our old one in the spare room and my folks came up this weekend to help us move the second time. i know my mom really misses me, and that it will be tough on her. i have my plant back too, with a few buddies. PLANT as he is called, is the only thing to survive my appendicitis attack and recovery. However, he was stuck in a dark bedroom for way too long in the college apartments and was in dire shape this spring when he made the trek to the farm. he got new sprouts in with him, new soil, and taken care of in a sunny place for about a month and then came back to live with us again in Iowa. yeah! now plant and his plant buddies are happily perched by the window. it's the only living thing besides me here right now, so i'm happy he's home.
I have taken this opportunity to read to my heart's content, which is something i dont let myself do very often, because it takes up a lot of time, and is practically sinful. woohoo! i have also allowed myself a few short naps when i get tired. actually, it works out well that way. if i'm tired i snooze and voila all better in about 20 minutes.

it;s looking better in here all the time, although just now there's boxes everywhere still. what i need is a job so i dont have to think why am i ignoring this stuff all day. ha!

the big thing is getting around. i did drive in moderate traffic on the weekend to help pick up supplies, but not by myself. and today would have been the day to do it, but with my truck being accosted to drive to work, then my hubby has me at home. that's fine though,i have plenty of time to go later and figure out the traffic patterns. well, i guess i better stop now and get to reading er unpacking.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, moving didn't suck quite as bad this time. We did finalize our temporary move on my birthday (June 2). I worked up until almost quitting time on June 1 and then we headed out. We got here, even further into the midwest, around 8 pm. We got in, our bed set up, and got fast food at about 10 pm. Sleeping (kind-of) adn then up early on my birthday and moved until 4:30 pm until everything was in. We wanted to take the U-Haul back, but couldn't, the store was closed. Incidentally, we only had one minor malfunction on the trip up. One hook holding the Bronco down didn't stay hooked. We had 2-way radios and I let the lead car know they were coming unhinged. Simple rehook and we were on our way. Back to the Saturday story: we found a papa murphy's take and bake pizza (yum) for lunch and then after we were totally moved in, we grabbed groceries from a HyVee for breakfast and slapped on some deodorant to go to dinner with our friends from the area, Alissa and Nate, and their lil' one Shelby. The food was good and company better. Crashed again and woke up to get the U-Haul back on Sunday morning. Problem, we got there at nine oh five, and by nine forty five, no owner there yet. Hmm. So we put the contract and keys in the drop box and left. Leftovers for lunch and a trip to Super Target and a jaunt around the area to see if we could find the place where I applied for a job. No such luck. Burgers and baked fries were dinner Sunday. I spent most of Monday and Tuesday reading, made roast and trimmings for Monday dinner--Matt went out to lunch with the cronies, so I was on my own. Oh yeah, and our air conditioning didnt get fixed until today. Plllbt. What fun! Last night I made chicken parmesan and pasta, tonight a marinated pork roast and pasta. Meanwhile I've been eating as much fruit as I can stand to try and stay healthy. Even though I'm not doing anything, I'm stressed out. I also made cake today. Mmm. Cake. Also, we ran down last night to look for apartments and haven't found anything better than the condo for lease right down the road from our temporary housing, so.. we put down a deposit on this nice condo tonight. It's only a short trip down the road, but it will be hell to move from the third floor of this place down the road to the 2 story condo. With garage. Yeah! Okay, I am doing some laundry because it's piled up already from needing towels washed when we left, so I need to go check on the washer and get it in the dryer. See ya.