Sunday, December 30, 2007

I think he’d rather I just say “Happy New Year” and not share the details

My husband is completely freaked out right now.

I just informed him that, until the FSA money hits our account we have $8.15 in our checking account. (We have almost $1200 in outstanding FSA money, problem is that since it’s automatically issued back to us I’ve never tracked how long that takes to get in to our account… one week? Two? Crap!) Payday is on the 4th, so it’s not like we’re destitute for long, and we do have credit cards so it isn’t like the children will go without milk (and there is a bit of emergency savings – but I’m really bad about replenishing that when I dip in to it). The worst part was when I told him that there is $30 left in his ATM account, and then he’s empty until payday. (Which is not a big deal unless you take in to account that he’s going to the Bronco game this afternoon with a friend and they are having lunch before hand.) A look of panic crossed his face! I’m sure he’s upstairs right now checking all of his coats and pockets for extra money.

Is this the first time this has happened? Sadly, no. But, usually when I find our account this low it’s because I’ve paid bills the night before payday and I know when I wake up in the morning things will be fine again.

Sometimes we just spend too much money during the month. Like almost every single December! And, this year we found ourselves in need of using up a large sum of FSP money (the tax free money you save out from your paychecks to pay for medical expenses not covered by insurance. Plastic surgery? Sadly not eligible or I’d be much better looking). Dental appointments, eye exams (glasses use up a huge amount of FSA money! Yea!), chiropractor visits for Husband. Of course, I wrote checks for all of this stuff! Of course it came back to bite me in the ass! Of course I won’t learn my lesson from this!

Oh well. Stuff happens.

Happy New Year!

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

By far the coolest thing my kids got for Christmas (that we didn't give them ourselves)


Is this.......


It's called "Find It" (A Contained Adventure).

It's a cylindar filled with small multi colored beads, and inside along with the thousands of beads are - among other things - a push pin, dice, bobby pin, popcorn kernel, fishing hook, pipe cleaner, feather, pearl, wiggle eye, gold ring, bow, and about 5o other little things. You have to keep turning it and twisting it and tapping it to find new stuff. It's crazy, and it's fun. Made me laugh when "a lightbulb" turned out to be a christmas light. I could play with this for a very long time.

Second coolest thing would have to be High School Musical Mystery Date! I loved playing Mystery Date when I was a little girl - my next door neighbor, Melissa, and I used to play all the time! Such a great reminder that some things don't change. (Except now it's Troy and Karaoke instead of Tennis Guy and Bowling.)

Also, my husband got Guitar Hero II. He's been at it for two nights now trying to get it right. SO FUNNY to watch. I'm dying to give it a go - but I think I'll get good when he's not around and then pretend I'm all naturally talented! Problem is it's like all rocked out metal music - not really my passion.

Probably the best thing I got was the DVD set of the BBC documentary "Planet Earth." Also, Husband got me the SIMS (which I told him NOT to do, as my addictive personality will lead me down a bad path with a game like that). His reaction was, "So?" - which I am taking as his personal permission to become a SIMS addict, the new millenium version of watching soap operas and eating bon bons all day. His fault. (Because I? Am all about the I-Told-You-So scenario!) Also, Husband got me the plug and play version of a golf game that was really popular in bars when we were dating. (It was a pretty cheap way to spend an evening, game of golf over a pitcher of beer. We've always been the classy, exciting couple in town!) I thought that was cute... he was all excited when I was opening it. The girls didn't think it was such a great gift, but it made me smile.

I hope your Christmas was wonderful, and happy! That you didn't rack up too many credit card bills, and that you are looking foward to the New Year in peace now that your kids have enough new toys to keep them busy for the rest of winter break.

XOXO!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Because I know you all have a lot of time to waste this time of year...

I'm going to post several things you should look at this Christmas season!

THIS is very cute, especially if you like Hippos!

HERE is a little Snowball fight starring the Morrisons!

THIS link might have been helpful to Jaime Lynn Spears about 4 months ago!

If you were a crappy Christmas gift, what would you be? Click HERE to find out!

Feeling stupid? THIS probably won't help!

Want (Need?) your kids to be quiet for five minutes? Clicking HERE may give you some resources to help!

Want (Need?) another five minutes? THIS could be fun for them!

Need to doodle? HERE you go!

Want to kick some ass next time you play Trivial Pursuit? THIS is your ticket!

OK, so unless Dakota Fanning gets pregnant and OK Magazine pays her a MILLION DOLLARS for her story, I probably won't be blogging until after Christmas. I will, however, be reading blogs when I'm bored... so keep updating yours!

Joyeux Noel!

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Let me jump on the band wagon...

Because you aren't a blogger until you post something about this little tart getting all pregnant at the age of 16....



Yes, Britney's sister is pregnant. Britney's sister is 16. SIXTEEN. Her boyfriend is 19. This is wrong on so many levels, so I'll just jump up on my soapbox and get started:

1. Celebrity glorifying pregnant teens. Yet another reason to never even enter your child in so much as a beautiful baby contest... THIS is where they end up.

2. Boyfriend is 19, and he's obviously been having sex with this 16 year old girl. When did that become legal? Shouldn't there be a warrant out for his arrest at this point?

3. Her sister is a world class screw up... so why would her parents think it was OK to sacrifice yet another daughter to the evils of celebrity without proper parenting?

4. The article says that she is pregnant by her "live in" boyfriend. WHAT? She is SIXTEEN years old! This isn't a case of her sneaking around and having sex without her parents knowing about it. SHE was LIVING with him. I'm sorry, but when your kid is 16 you still call the shots. I'm not saying that the parents could have kept her from having sex - but come on! Letting your kid live with someone of the opposite sex at that age is just asking for something like this to happen. For God's sake drag her behind back home and parent her.

5. Making it cool to have a baby out of wedlock, which I'm afraid is happening all around us and this isn't helping. Morally, not for me. Logically, I'm fine with adults making that kind of decision, although I think the world would be a lot more stable place if every child had two loving parents who were committed to each other. This isn't a Utopian world. Shit happens. But, the more this happens and is accepted the bigger the chance that by the time my kids are that age this will be acceptable to society. Shouldn't we use her as an example of what NOT to do?

6. Her mother is working on a book about parenting. Lynn Spears? Credible to author a book on parenting? Probably not. (Not saying that I am either, it's not that I think I'm better than she is - but I can hope!)

7. What ever happened to the Hollywood hushed up abortions? You know that starlets get pregnant, and have it taken care of all the time - and have since Hollywood became Hollywood. I'm not saying this is a great alternative... and I'm not generally pro-abortion, but you can damn sure bet that if my daughters get pregnant before the age of 18 I would present this as an option. That and adoption. I'm not proud of this, but babies having and raising babies is not a good idea in this society. (I'll answer to God for my opinions, I have no doubt.) This girl cannot go through a pregnancy and give it up to a family that wants a baby- the media would never let that happen. They would find out where that baby was and make it's life and the life of it's family hell.

OK, I might be done. I reserve the right to edit this post to add more from my soapbox if anything else comes to mind. As for right now, I seriously have to sit down and contemplate what I am exposing my children to on a daily basis. I'm not going to be able to shelter them too much, as that wouldn't prepare them for real life very well... but I need to take a better look around me for bad influences. I also need to stop following Celebrity gossip so closely! (You know I'm not going cold turkey on this, though. right?)

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Just call me...

Your Elf Name Is...

Dixie Mince Meat

Friday, December 7, 2007

The Conversation in which I am no longer Caucasian

DD2 and I were getting the stuff out to start our Christmas card mailing, and she spotted our return address labels. (Here is the link in case you want to order some for yourselves.) Anyway, she is looking at the label and points to the depiction of me.

DD2: “You’re white here.”

Me: “Yes. I’m white there.” (What?)

DD2: “Why are you white here?”

Me: “Honey, are you white in real life?”

DD2: “Yes.”

Me: “Is Daddy white?”

DD2: “Yes.”

Me: “Is your sister white?”

DD2: “Yes.”

Me: “Well, what color is mommy in real life?”

DD2: (in a voice that is so very casual and matter-of-fact) “You’re BROWN.”


DH and I always wanted to raise children who were basically “blind” to people being different on the outside from each other. It's what is inside a person that counts. I’d have to say mission accomplished… sort of.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

DD1, she's on a roll...

We're in the car late this afternoon, and I show her the case from the new Christmas CD we're listening to. It's from Target, Disney's 2007 release. She is looking at the picture on the front.

DD1: "Where do you think Daisy is? She's not in the picture."

Me: "I don't know. Maybe she was busy, or she was sick that day."

DD1: (with a look on her face like she hopes to God I'm not that dumb) "Mom.... it's a drawing of characters. They DRAW them."

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

She cracks me up sometimes....

The setting: I'm driving home after DD1's dance class. DD1 and DD2 are both in the car. KOSI Christmas music is playing on the radio, an instrumental adaptation of Jingle Bell Rock has started to play.

DD1: Hey! It's in Karaoke!

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Ohhhh, Tracy found something very cool!

I am a faithful artist. I kind of like that!

Find out what you are HERE. (And please share!)