Life Shuffle

This is a fun challenge that I am sure has been over-done by now.

I stole it from here.

Put your ipod on shuffle, then answer the following questions with whatever song comes up.

This was fun to do and I am surprised at how appropriate the songs were!

1. What would describe your personality? : Here Comes the Sun (Dan Fogelberg)

2. What do you like in a guy/girl? : They Do, They Don't (Jack Johnson)

3. How do you feel, today?: Never Been to Spain (Three Dog Night)

4. What’s your life’s purpose?: The Little Things (Colbie Caillat)

5. What is your motto? : Right Where I Belong (3 Doors Down)

6. What do your friends think of you?: Look After You (The Fray)

7. What do you think of your parents?: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John)

8. What do you think about very often?: This Time (3 Doors Down)

9. What do you think of your best friend? : Get Stoned (Hinder) yikes!

10. What do you think of the person you like?: Bless the Broken Road (Rascal Flatts) How sweet!

11. What is your life story?: If Everyone Cared (Nickelback)

12. What do you want to be when you grow up?: Back 2 Good (Matchbox 20)

13. What do you think when you see the person you like?: Don't Close Your Eyes (Keith Whitley)

14. What do your parents think of you? : Every Other Weekend (Reba and Kenny Chesney) this is very appropriate

15. What will be played at your funeral? :Chasing Cars (Snow Patrol)

16.What is your hobby/interest?: Take This (Staind)

17. What is your biggest secret? : Gravity (John Mayer)

18. What do you think of your friends?: Hotel California (The Eagles)

19. What should you post this as? : Who Wants to Live Forever (Queen)

Sorry Toni about the "Get Stoned" entry. :)

38 is the new 18

I caught a bit of the CBS Early Show this morning while I was getting the day started. One of the segments was titled "Fifty and Still Fabulous, Madonna, Prince & Michael Jackson Still Thrive At 50, Whether It Be In Music Or The Tabloids" The segment asked "Is 50 the new 30?" and then went on to take a look at what each of the pop icons was up to.

So, if 50 is the new 30, then 40 is the new 20. I can kind of see this as I get older. I don't FEEL any older. I still feel like I am that same person I was then. Of course wisdom and experience gained over time certainly play a role in who I am today, but I can still remember what is was like to be 18, 24, 32....... (I also remember being 11, 13, 16, 19...my kids hate that!)

I really do feel like there is so much of my life left to do. I am a college student! I still don't even know what I want to do when I grow up! I have no idea where I want to live the rest of my life. (Although I will be here or close to it while my kids are growing) And, someday I would like to get married again and enjoy that relationship. So I guess I buy into it.

50 is the new 30.

40 is the new 20

and (YES!!!) 38 is the new 18!

This picture has nothing to do with the above post. This is Ruby, SO excited to have a batting helmet of her very own (Hayley's old one), that she would not remove it at all. Even in her car seat. Even to sleep.

A long time ago

Look at how cute we are! Our smiles are huge.

Look at how young we are

::sigh::

A powerful, moving blog

I came across this blog recently on another website. Matt Logelin shares his feelings and grief over being a widowed father. His wife Liz passed away the day after their daughter was born four months ago. He uses powerful language and his photography is amazing. Have a fresh box of kleenex handy as you WILL cry.

It's the beginning of Shopping Season!

For me back to school marks the beginning of my shopping season. It begins in August, and doesn't end until January when the post Holiday sales end.

This month I have to buy:

Football shoes for Jacob,

Soccer shoes for Hayley,

Soccer shoes, shinguards and any other gear for Ruby.

New sneakers for school for all 3 kids.

Cute-pie dressier shoes for the girls.

Another cool pair of sneaks for Jacob (you know--so he can rotate).

New socks, and underwear for all 3 kids.

Clothing to outfit them all (WHY do they have to grow so fast?)

SCHOOL SUPPLIES!

Yikes! I am getting excited (and a little overwhelmed) just typing it all out!

Then October brings more shopping, for Halloween costumes and a head start on Christmas so I don't get anxiety.

November brings Ruby's birthday and a LOT more Holiday shopping.

and then comes DECEMBER. For me, I have found that no matter how much I shop early for Christmas, I LOVE to be out in the hustle and bustle during the frenzied Christmas shopping season. Even if I have bought and wrapped every single gift by Dec. 1, I still need to go out and absorb the craziness at the mall.

As much as I do like to shop, by the end of January I am shopped out. AND extremely broke.

For the rest of the calendar year, I usually only buy as needed, not too many sprees and splurges. Of course, everybody always NEEDS something so there is always something I NEED to shop for, but for the most part I steer clear of the mall.

I really am an idiot

I caved. Cleaning has happened, but not to the degree that I threatened. I want to have the TV on. Sometimes disciplining the kids is harder on me than it is on them!

They must think I'm an idiot!

OK, I admit I'm a pushover. For the most part, my kids have it made.

All I asked today was for the kids to get their crap out of the car so that I can vacuum. I swear that we could live for weeks with the amount of paraphernalia that they leave in there.

So they said they did it, so I head out with the vacuum happy to be completing this chore.

They are liars!

OMG, there is really no place to shove stuff in a car, granted, I do drive a Honda Odyssey, but they did. shove. sh*t. anywhere they could.

So, as the result. The kids will be on Amish restriction. That means that they are electronic free. No computer, cell phones, ipods, gameboys, wii, TV, DVD, phone, and anything else that has to be plugged in or charged.

What they WILL be allowed to do is clean.

And usually I am so easygoing that I seldom bother with the upstairs of the house. It is their domain and I'm not too anal about how it looks. You know, keep their bedroom doors shut and all that.

Not now. Not this week. This is the week that it is getting deep-cleaned. Every nook and cranny. I swear, my brother and I invented every trick my kids could ever try. There is no hope for them to EVER pull a fast one on me.

I hope they will learn this soon, life will be easier for all of us!

<

Yikes...I guess I am the parent of the century.

It's just Ruby and I tonight.

The older kids are off spending the night with friends. Ruby is VERY excited to pick the movie we will be watching tonight.

What movie does she choose?

WEDDING CRASHERS. She says it is her favorite movie.

Luckily at 5 the risque humor goes WAY above her head.

(And her attention span is not very long, she doesn't watch much of the movie before she gets bored.)

Ringtones

I don't hear very well.

I especially don't hear the ring of my cell phone very well.

My solution to this is a loud, obnoxious song as a ringtone.

Currently it is Ozzy's Crazy Train .

I jump with fright every time my phone rings.

It is perfect for me!

So, is there anybody out there?

What is your ringtone?

The day Glide High School burned

I was at Jacob's baseball game today when I got a call from a friend that our small-town high school was on fire.

As with most very small towns, the high school in Glide is a very important part of our community (there are only 700 students in the whole Glide school district). This summer extensive renovations have been underway and a new library/media center are being constructed and most of the other buildings are having long-needed renovations. The buildings were built in 1953 and except for necessary maintenance have not been updated at all since the 70's.

Anyway, soon after the announcement about the fire the cell phone network took effect and we learned that the library was gone, the home ec and science classrooms were gone, and the main office and gym were threatened.

Fire personnel from all over Douglas County were called in to battle the blaze and help control the spread of the fire. At one point I counted 16 firetrucks lining the highway in front of the high school.

I was able to get some pictures, and I will post when I upload them, but are some from the Roseburg News-Review.

The part of the building on the left is the library. The windows on the right are the main office which hopefully was spared. At this point the Gym also was saved. I am sure that there will definitely be smoke and water damage to both areas.

Although none of my own kids are high school age yet, the kids I teach are. This will have a huge effect on these students and the community as a whole. It is a shame that just as the buildings and facilities are getting much needed updates and renovations, it will all be somewhat set back by this fire and its impact. My son, who definitely takes after his mother, when told about the loss of the library, cried. Truly he did. As a voracious reader and book lover he understands that the loss of the library is HUGE .

And even though there is insurance, and things can be replaced and rebuilt, there are only 55 days until school starts again, the district will have to make some creative arrangements and move pretty fast so that the impact on students can be minimized.

The Center of The Universe

A field about a mile down the road. This is Little River.

Vitamin Water...Really?

Like the rest of the U.S. I have jumped on the bottled water bandwagon. I LOVE the water that comes from the tap at my house, but when on-the-go, I definitely buy water.

Not long ago I discovered Vitamin Water. This stuff, especially the XXX variety, is great!

I do wonder if I am actually getting anything beyond colored, flavored water. According to Wikipedia:

VitaminWater consists of vapor distilled, deionized, and/or reverse osmosis water; crystalline fructose (derived from corn syrup) as a sweetener; citric acid; electrolytes; natural flavors; and vitamins, including Vitamin C, B3, B5, B6, B12, and E. Other ingredients are added according to the flavor and intended purpose of the drink. It is not a low-sugar drink, with a sugar content is comparable to other sweetened soft drinks.

WOW. I so was not expecting that. WTH is reverse osmosis water?

Anyway, even thought Vitamin Water is not pure goodness in a bottle, I like it and it is refreshing to drink. It has to be a LITTLE bit better for a person than the HFCS in most soft drinks. It has to be.

We Did it to Ourselves

I stole this from a blog somewhere. Sorry, I have no idea where. While I don't agree with all of the points 100%, it has a lot of validity.

We did it to ourselves, the crappy market and housing industry that is. We charged and financed our way into homes far to big and far to expensive then went and bought all the Ethan Allen goods we could stuff into our walls. We then waited for a year and took out a home equity line of credit and then went on a 5k vacation, bought a 40k car and bought Coach purses and steak dinners.

We could not wait for the little splurges in life. $5 cups of coffee three times a week, hey I deserve it, $400 soccer lessions for Johnny, he enjoys it! We needed a new car and it had to be new with DVD and GPS. No second hand for us! How dare people think we should wait!

And no way could we drive sedans. Nope we had to have giant SUV’s and mini vans because our kids have to haul around a metric ton of stuff for their 3 daily lessons and 5 school projects. The idea that if we bought gas at the rates we did drove up prices along with other market factors is just plain silly.

We had to have, no waiting, instant credit, just charge it we’ll worry about it later but hey we’ll get Disney Bucks for it too!

The goverment doesn’t need to fix it, we do. We over bought and over consumed and felt we had a God given right to have whatever we wanted the second we wanted it.

But it’s not our fault.

Liar, Liar pants on fire

I lied yesterday. I did not paint the door. I did not paint a wall. I did not do anything remotely productive all day long.

What I did do was play Nintendo Wii's baseball with my kiddos. I am not nearly as good as Jacob and Hayley and Ruby are improving rapidly, but I give them a run for their money!!

Yeah MOM!!!

I did start painting the stupid door today and it is going to take at least 2 coats. After pictures will have to wait!

Door BEFORE

By the end of the day today, this door will be green. I have only had the paint for at least two years. I AM going to paint it today!! AFTER pictures to follow.

Too Cool for FUN

This is my son Jacob(on the far right) and two of his good friends. Notice how excited they were to watch the fireworks.

The funny thing is, when we got home I asked Jacob what he liked best about our day today and he said the fireworks!

I swear 13 year old boys are hormonal messes!

Facebook

You can find me on Facebook. Damn, that place is addicting.

I am wondering about the etiquette of the place. If one off my friends has a friend that I know, can I just request to have their friend be my friend? What if I don't know this person all that well and just want to have more friends?

It surely would be a lot easier that way than trolling around for my own damn friends!

My family's favorite...SOUP!

Zuppa Toscano

My family LOVES this easy soup.

1 lb. Italian Sausage (I use ground sausage)(I add more to make the recipe more hearty)

4 large Russet Baking Potatoes sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices (sometimes more for heartiness)

1 large Onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

Frozen chopped spinach

2 cans Chicken Broth

1 can beef broth (for richness)

1 qt. more/less Water

1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

flour

Cook sausage in a 300-degree oven. Bake approximately 1/2 hour, drain on paper towels, and cut into slices.(I just cook my ground sausage in a pan, then drain.) Place onion, potatoes, broth, water, and garlic in pot, and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done. Add sausage, salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add flour/milk mixture to thicken soup up.

Turn to low heat, add spinach and cream. Heat through and serve.

They have better lives than I do!!

My kids are all wonderful. I love them and I love that they are successful at everything they do.

But, this week I am feeling the financial strain of their activities.

Jacob tried out for and made the Babe Ruth All Star team. This is fabulous!

Except for the fact that the practices are every day. In Myrtle Creek. That is over 80 miles round trip. Tonight I calculated that it is costing me about 20 cents a mile to drive the car anywhere, so it costs me about $16 just for practice each day!!!

Also, tonight I was informed that the uniforms will cost $60 ASAP and that the arrangements for hotel rooms at the state tournament will need to be paid for ASAP, and all of the other expenses that come along with traveling.

I'm losing my mined as I am emptying out my pocket book!!

Then there is Hayley. She tried out for and made a classic soccer team.

Great. $295 just to play. $65 for a basic uniform $65 more for sweats and a backpack. She also needs a new ball, cleats, shinguards.... AND she is required to attend a camp in 2 weeks that will cost $140.

YIKES! When will it end.

I realize that these are optional choices and we could opt out of them and the expenses, but these are things that I really want my kids to be able to do. I want to be able to provide these opportunities for them. I am just not sure how to fund them.....