The Public Schools are on Spring Break this week.
Therefore, the weather is terrible. Rainy, windy, cold.
But, we homeschool. We are trudging along with school, although at an easier pace. HP isn’t happy with this development but we remind him that there are days he has off when the other kids have to go to school. Maybe when the weather gets nice again we’ll play hooky and do something fun.
Bahhhahaha! Evil laugh. But then again, maybe not. 😉
As I sit here, mind void of higher brain activity being made number by repeated games of Spider Solitaire, I wonder why I have a blog.
I have been reading other’s prose on the Web and am definitely in awe of what some people produce. Some people have things to say and say it well. Some produce tons of stuff- posting multiple times a day- even when they don’t have anything to say. And here I sit- being watched by multiple “camera traps” that my son has positioned all around the house (not to worry if you are concerned about your next visit being “caught” on camera- they are made out of Legos.) and nothing of import has come to mind. Maybe I am too worried about “importance”. Maybe the Camera Traps are inhibiting my creativity. Having a blog and feeling the need to “produce” for my phantom readers is stressful. Yooo Hooo! Anyone out there?
Then I remind myself why I wanted to do this trendy thing. I wanted to record what was happening in our family and comment on things of interest to me (rather narcissistic, isn’t it?) Also to let other people, mostly family and friends, keep caught up on our lives. Mainly, the kids. They change so fast. So with that in mind, I don’t have to be Shakespeare (or is it Shackspar?) or to be the best speller (I even confuse spell check) or grammatically correct (I know, too many commas and dashes) but just honest.
Even with Camera Traps watching my every move.
The girls had been outside and came in with dirty hands. While they were being washed up, Kirsten noticed that there were some dark smudges on the Barbie toothpaste tube. She immediately accused Talia of getting dirt on it.
“Kirsten do it!” Was Talia’s reply.
It was starting to degenerate into one of those deep and provocative conversations. “She did it!” “Did not, she did it!” When I pointed out that it was just the price sticker residue that was left when Gramma took it off before giving it to them for Christmas.
They busily told Papa when he came in all about it. Kirsten mentioned it at the breakfast table the next day and when Talia enters Black Ear, she points a chubby finger and proclaims:
“Gramma do it! Gramma fault!”
All settled.
Talia is a little singer.
On our walk the other day she was strutting along singing: “Only boy, David!” over and over again.
If you remember any children’s Bible songs that one is “Only a Boy Named David”. She had the tune kind of right but was dropping a few of the words. And lines, and verses. Who needs all that stuff anyway?
Another one she was singing was – “Happy, happy, happy!” I wondered what she was trying to sing and then I caught “Happy New Year!” and I realised she was singing “Wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!” We were blessed (and I use that word loosely) with a singing Snowman at our last Harvest Festival and it has turned into a favorite of hers. Yeah. I am thrilled. Can’t you tell? But I DO love to hear Talia singing it. I like her version because it is “Happy” and makes me smile.
Another favorite that doesn’t come out quite right is the Happy Birthday song. But I like it, it says it all.
“Happy Day You! Happy Day You!”
And today is a Happy Day since it is dear friend Boo Boo’s birthday. Happy Day You!
We had the radio tuned into a local radio station a few weeks ago when my brain tuned into one of the commercials. It was all about “passing gas” and when to not to it. It talked about leaving the area when “it” was about to occur and to NEVER do “it” around children because it contained noxious “gas”. It was sponsored by the Ad Council etc. I kept thinking “was that for real?” Which just goes to show how little I have to actually think about.
Finally, it was there in my mind while I was on the computer so I looked up the Ad Council to see if they had any information on it. I learned that the Ad Council was a non-profit organization that helps put together Public Service Announcements (PSA). After doing a search on “gas” I found that they indeed did sponsor such an ad. This one was directed by Jason Alexander of Seinfeld fame and has been an on going series since January of 2005. BUT the point was not about “passing gas” but about second hand smoke. Ooops. Silly me. I must have missed that part.
Seems second hand smoke contains noxious gases that is harmful to children and this ad will help motivate parents to stop smoking around their kids. Of course, this is an ad campaign put on by the same people who did the “TV Boss” ads. These ads are supposed to inform parents about the V chip and encourage them to use it to “block” offensive TV shows. One of them has a strung out drug addict on the floor with a man explaining how the show was “great” television but it was too adult content for the kids (seen playing outside through the window, ages about 10) so he was going to “block” the show. The he leaves and the addict says “What a nice lady.” The kids thought that was funny. We don’t watch much TV and we don’t have cable so I have no idea what show he was talking about but I know for sure my kids wouldn’t be watching it! I am finding that some of those shows aren’t even healthy for adults! Anyway, a poll was done to see if the ads had increased parents use of the “V” chip and found a 1% DECREASE in usage. Uh, don’t think it’s working. Could it have been the timing of when they showed the ads? The reason we saw them was not because we were watching “graphic, adult content” TV shows with our kids but because we were watching CARTOONS with our kids on Saturday morning. Wow. What a concept. But it baffles Brett and I as to why they wouldn’t show that kind of ad during the shows that they think are not for kids and maybe make the parents start thinking “is this good for my kid who isn’t in bed yet?” But, no that shows my naivety again. That would mean a loss of revenue because there is someone willing to pay for that slot and they would have to run the PSA free. Oh, and the ad campaign only cost $550 million dollars.
I decided that I should forgo cream (the real thing, “heavy” even) in my coffee. I thought it might be hindering any weight loss efforts. Yesterday I drank BLACK coffee. No milk either. I survived, but just barely. (It wasn’t too bad actually. Don’t tell.)
I mentioned this to The Big Guy and his first reaction was of concern for my well being. Snort! Fooled you! His first thought was that HE would have to do without (he likes it on occasion) or drink a whole lot more of it so that what we did buy didn’t go bad. So with my well being and happiness in mind he convinced me that the small amount I have in my (most of the time) one mug of coffee wouldn’t derail my health.
So I am creamless no more. It’s in the coffee this morning. Yum.
One would normally think of nails as the things pounded into boards by hammers. In our household that understanding would leave you confused. The other definition would be the things on the ends of fingers and toes- which would make a little more sense when KJ says she doesn’t want her nails cut. But you would still be thinking of the wrong body area.
Here, nails means bangs.
I spent some time yesterday looking around at other blogs. Some people actually have people who leave comments, amazing that. But I digress. One of the things that struck me was the long list of other blogs they have listed at their sites. Does that mean they take the time to seriously, daily, read all 20-4o blogs listed? Or do they check in every so often to see what is happening? How much time do these people have anyway?
The ones I looked at were mostly women with kids, some home schooling families, and they post quite often to their own blogs- at least daily. I know this takes quite a bit of time in it’s own right but maybe I am a slow writer. But then to check out other people’s work takes quite a while too. How do people do it?
I must be time challenged.
My little Sunshine is a hair magnet. Since she was very little she would find hairs, anyplace, anytime. Before she could talk she would hold up her hand and say “hai, hai!” She wouldn’t be happy until the offending item was found and taken from her. She would come running up with her thumb and index finger pinched tightly together yelling “hai!”. Sometimes it would somehow escape the death grip and couldn’t be found. If there was a hair to find, she finds it and demands that it be thrown away.
At lunch yesterday, the older two kept saying something about hair and TG but I was on the phone and thought it was just the Magnate at work. Then I went into Black Ear and saw the long strands of hair lying about and the scissors on the counter. Oh no! One of my greatest fears had come to pass.
I have been very diligent, almost to the point of paranoia about the kids and scissors. Their scissor skills are lacking because I hardly ever let the scissors into their chubby little hands. But I had let my guard down and left the hair cutting scissors out on the counter in the bathroom. The kids are not supposed to be back there without me, but that’s just one of those silly things Mom says to herself and so what if the door is closed? They’ve never heard of privacy.
To be honest, at least she cut the hair in a place that is hard to see. Her floppy hair and bangs cover up the area she snipped. But when one is already hair challenged, well- every little bit helps.
There has been a lot of talk about the Government listening in to phone calls, snooping through emails and maintaining a gigantic database with lots of information about YOU. Many feel this is an invasion of personal privacy.
In my dictionary privacy is defined this way: “the quality or state of being hidden from, or undisturbed by, the observation or activities of other persons. Freedom from undesirable intrusions.”
I am not concerned about a big database with bits of potentially embarrassing personal items about me, maybe this is naivety on my part but I am concerned with another invasion of personal privacy.
I would like to go to the bathroom, by myself, without screams wafting through the house (and two closed doors), and without fingers or toes wiggling at me from under the door. I don’t think this should be too much to ask but apparently, to my children, it is an unheard of thing.
Yesterday, I needed to make a quick run to Henry, and told KJ and HP that I would be right back. KJ followed me, whined something outside the door and then stuck her toes under it to “peek” at me. She decided that it was imperative that her cold tea be warmed up just at that time that I choose to leave the area. Silly me.
Privacy and young children do not mix. Ask any Mother. The Government doesn’t need to listen to my phone calls; my 6 year old does that. They don’t need a data base of my embarrassing moments; my kids see every one and they’d tell you all about it.