A Funny -- Poor Bob

This morning as I was getting ready to shove Bob out the door off to work -- no, say goodbye as Bob was leaving for work, he decided instead to take the day off. He has three vacation days that he has to burn in a hurry, so he figured why not. This was at 7 am.

Bob parked himself in front of the computer as Thomas and I fed the puppies and took them outside. We then started school. It's hard to do school with Bob underfoot -- not because he's here, it just ruins our routine. So we plugged away.

About 10:30 we took our first break, took the puppies outside, and I came down to catch up on emails and blogs and all that fun and good computer stuff. A half hour later, I startled because so much time had flown by. Up the stairs I went. Thomas sat down at the table and started math while I decided to make another pot of coffee.

I was looking out my kitchen window and the overcast, cold and dreary day. I then looked at Bob's van, which was parked in the driveway. I blinked a few times. I actually put my glasses on. Lo and behold, there was exhaust coming out of it! It was 11 am and that van was RUNNING.

I called down to Bob, who was diligently working on defragging and deleting unwanted files from his computer and asked him if he forgot something. Nope. I started laughing. I just couldn't help it. I said, "Honey, did you start your car this morning?"

Oh shiitake mushrooms. Only he didn't say the mushroom part. Or the "ake" part, either. He flew out the door faster than I could say boo.

So there in our driveway, from 7 am to 11 am, sat our van, with the engine running, warming up. We're trying to figure out how many gallons of gas he blew. It was just so funny that I didn't care about the lost gas, though. I don't think I've laughed so hard in many, many moons.

Poor Bob. I'm laughing at him, not with him. However, he was a good sport and laughed about it, too.

And I'm proud to say that even though Bob was underfoot, as soon as Thomas finishes his five-paragraph essay on his favorite foods (or poop, whichever he chooses to write about today) we will be done with school for the day. We made it through.

4H

The 4H Dog program lady called tonight. I put a call into her over a month ago, she'd been busy and apologized.

So, we're set to start this. We have to join the next county over's 4H.

I know NOTHING about 4H. I do know Thomas will have to train once a week. That's great. He will also have to join a club? What else will he have to do?

Bottom line: HOW MUCH WILL THIS COST ME?????

I'm hyperfocused on money this year, and want to work this into the budget! Aside from gas being $3 a gallon, and this town is 20 miles from here, how much money?

Thomas is excited about it. He wants to do it. He's ready to volunteer at our local animal shelter again, which we'll do after Tesla has his second round of shots.

Help, someone explain this 4H thing to me, please!

Everybody's Doing It

I've seen this all over the blog world. I've always claimed I'm not a liberal or conservative -- I guess this proves it.

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal Social Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal Personal Responsibility: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal Fiscal Issues: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal Ethics: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal Defense and Crime: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?

Cuties

Frugal Friday

How to save money on food.

1) Pick up a nasty virus that makes you sick.
2) Make sure the virus stays with you an entire week.

I have saved a lot of money on food this week! I have consumed:

Ramen Noodles
chicken noodle soup
Kraft Mac and Cheese -- only when I was so hungry I felt I'd eat the house and figured it was pretty bland -- it worked
soda crackers
toast
three 2-liter bottles of Sierra Mist.

Sierra Mist at our store is 99 cents a bottle, while Sprite and 7-Up are $1.39.

Yup, that's all I've consumed this week.

When I ventured out to the grocery store to pick up more soup, and found the Ramen Noodles on sale and got those too, I asked the store clerk what was going around. She said a nasty virus was going around that was coming out both ends, and that it was lasting a week or more. OR MORE??? Oh shiitake mushrooms.

It's Friday, this bug hit me last Sunday, and I'm still very queasy, not up to par by any means. Of course being a mom, I have to function. Surprisingly, school got done every day this week. Well, not really this morning. This morning after we did all the puppy chores, I collapsed into my bed. I slept until 11:30, clocking about 2 1/2 hours of sleep. That felt so good. Thomas was snuggled up reading a Harry Potter book, taking care of the puppies when need be.

Bob is on his way home today. It was an awful time for him to be out of town. I have been dreaming of Saturday, when Bob will get up and do the puppy chores with Thomas and I can S L E E P in.

Now in case anyone was worried about Thomas getting decent food, I will say again how proud I am of him. He cooked for himself every night. Chicken wings twice (the $5 a bag kind from Wal-mart that aren't precooked, not the $10 a bag that most stores sell), Tuna Helper which he loves, eggs, and I forget what else. He also made a couple batches of muffins, which he loves to do. I'm so glad we've been teaching him his way around a kitchen.

This afternoon we're going to work on math, science and geography and call it a day. We'll then watch the clock waiting for Bob's arrival home.

Sorry, this wasn't really a Frugal Friday post. I just didn't have it in me today to post about snowball payments on debt. I'll do that next week. That takes too much energy on a good day.

The last few days...

Warning: This post is gross and long and sick.



Sunday was the day to pick up our new puppy. We loaded everything up in the car, Apollo, all the dog stuff, and headed out for the airport a couple hours away. It was a beautiful day, unseasonably warm for Minnesota. About a 30 miles outside of Rochester, our destination, the fog hit. It was very thick.

I called Bob, who at the time was in South Carolina on work, and asked him to check flight status for me. Sure enough, Tesla's flight had been cancelled. So we arrived at the airport, stood in line with many angry passengers, waiting our turn to find out what the status of our puppy was. They were going to try to put him on the next flight.

We went outside, played with Apollo for awhile. It was nearing the time for the next flight to depart, so we decided to go in and check. This time there were no angry passengers, but a very chatty and helpful man at the counter. He was checking for me, and I did hear that the flight had been delayed. He said many other things, but I didn't hear a word. As I stood there, something in my gut started churning and gurgling and I felt as if I were going to double over at any second and pass out right then and there. Or worse.

I said thank you, parked Thomas in a chair right next to the rest rooms, and, um, how do I say this without being gross? Had the runs. Felt a little better, decided to go out and play with Apollo in the parking lot. That lasted, um, an entire two minutes before I was running back into the airport.

At this point I knew. It was 4 in the afternoon, and I would not be driving home that day. I was too weak to go back to the counter, so I called the 1-800 number to check Tesla's status. The plane had not yet taken off. We did. I called Bob, told him to get on the Internet and find us a motel room pronto that would accept dogs. We hopped in the car and headed toward town. The Rochester airport is about 10 miles south of the town. He called back immediately and said there is a Super 8. They are known for being pet-friendly. And cheap. Drove right to it, checked in, and decided to unload what little we had brought for our day trip. I forgot the potty box!

The breeder trains her puppies to use a potty box. It's basically paper training in a box. Shredded newspaper in a Rubbermaid container that they can climb into. How on earth could I have forgotten the potty box? This meant that I would have to *go to a store* when I did not feel like going to a store. So we spent about a half hour in the motel room and then headed out. Found a Shopko, ran in. I told Thomas to find a potty box while I looked for Imodium. I was so weak that I handed the clerk the Imodium and sat at the bench right next to the check-out lane. Thomas found a potty box, forgot the lid but I didn't care, and we paid. I only had like $15 cash with me so I had to go in and use the plastic.

Ran through Wendy's so Thomas could eat. The smell made me sick. I got a Sprite. Or Sierra Mist. Or whatever it was. It tasted so good. Made it to the airport. Two minutes later, the plane landed. The lady at the ticket counter brought our beautiful Tesla to us. He is gorgeous, snuggly, fluffy and smart -- everything a puppy should be. We cut the plastic ties off the crate inside the airport, and I carried 20-pounds of puppy and crate to the car.

At this point I was doubling over in pain yet again. Thomas took over. He got the collar on Tesla, took him potty, and introduced Apollo and Tesla. My head was spinning. I didn't snap a single photo. It was dark anyway, but I couldn't even try. My only thought was to stop at a Mini-Mart on the way to the motel, grab a 2-liter bottle of Sprite, a snack for Thomas, and a big, thick newspaper so we could make strips for the potty box.

So that's what we did. Hopped in the car. Took every ounce of energy for me to drive. Got to the Mini-Mart, Thomas stayed in the car with the pups and I ran in the store. The clerk was very nice or very bored and when I walked in, she asked what I needed. I told her and she set out getting it. Butterfinger for Thomas, newspaper and 2-liter of Sprite. At this time the smell of the hot dogs cooking hit me like a ton of bricks. I screamed, "Where's your bathroom," she pointed, and I ran.

How do I say this without being gross? I puked my guts out. And what's worse? I peed my pants every time I puked. I *hate* being old, or having had a baby, or whatever it was that made me not able to control my bladder while I was heaving. I cleaned up, and approached the counter, thankful that my coat was very long and hopefully covered myself. She gave me a look. I said, "Oh my God, I'm NOT drunk, I'm sick." I was afraid she'd call me in as a drunk driver!

Got my stuff, was actually feeling a tad better, opened the trunk and took out a towel that I had remembered to pack, sat on that and drove a few blocks to the motel. Carried in two crates full of dogs.

I had to run around that motel room wearing two towels on my lower half in front of my son and wash my clothes out with shampoo. Thomas suggested that from now on, we carry a change of clothes in the car. Brilliant idea, Thomas. When I felt able, I would use the in-room blow dryer drying my clothes.

I was sick all night long. Poor Thomas was scared to death.

I did not feel comfortable sending a 12-year-old child outside to potty puppies by himself at a motel at night. So, the puppies used the potty box. Thankfully they used it. And speaking of puppies, that is a complete blur to me. I only snapped three photos.

I am so completely proud of my son. He stepped up to the plate, took control, and took excellent care of his pups. He fed them, watered them, and played with them. He snuggled them, crated them, and met their needs. He put them to bed in their crates at a decent time. He snuggled in and watched the Discovery Channel, asking me every 15 minutes if I was all right. I don't know what I would have done without him.

It was very scary for me. If something would have happened, what would we have done? We didn't know anyone there. Bob was in South Carolina. I was so sick I couldn't even drive to get myself clean clothes. I was up every hour during the night.

It was also probably one of the most embarrassing times of my life. Peeing my pants? Oh my gosh.

The next morning Thomas went and got breakfast, came back to the room and ate. He fed his puppies, and took them outside to potty and walk. It took me from 8 in the morning, when I started to pack up, until 11:30 before I was able to get out of the room. Bob wasn't too keen on us staying another day in the motel. Plus, I would have had to get clothes, more dog food, and food for Thomas.

I made it home fine. In fact, driving in the car felt good because I made Thomas use the in-case-of-emergency blanket we keep in the car to cover himself with, and I cracked my window. The cool air felt so good.

We arrived home, unloaded everything, introduced the puppies, called the breeder to let her know we made it home, called Bob to let him know, cleaned out the crate -- it was full of newspaper for the flight, cleaned out the potty box, fed the puppies, etc. I was then able to shower, put on my nightgown, fill kongs full of cream cheese, crate the puppies and sleep for an hour.

When I woke up, I finally felt good enough to actually sit on the floor and play with the puppies. The new puppy is a snuggler. Of course he bonded himself to Thomas because Thomas took such good care of him, even though he is my dog. I then put him in the ex-pen and played with Apollo. Thomas was still doing the majority of the work, taking the puppies potty, etc. Thomas cooked himself dinner, I had Sprite and soda crackers, and we were about to call it a day.

Thomas took the puppies potty, one at a time. Tesla was crated, and when he brought Apollo in, he hollered for me to come quick. Apollo had stepped in poop outside and tracked it all over my kitchen and hallway.

Oh my gosh. I had to scrub crap off floors when I wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed. So, I picked up Apollo, cleaned his paws off with a million paper towels, and then decided to run a bath for him. I put two inches of water in the tub, put him in it -- thank goodness he likes the tub -- and had Thomas sit and play with him. Tesla was crated, so I went to work on the floors. I cleaned up the tracks with paper towels, then mopped the floors -- twice.

Talk about a crappy ending to a crappy two days!

We went to bed, Tesla, bless his heart, slept through the night. We have an excellent breeder who crate trains the puppies early, so he was used to being in a crate overnight. He is 10 weeks old, too, so he's better able to hold his bladder than a younger pup. He woke me at 6:30 the next morning.

Still feeling weak, I got up, got dressed, and took care of the puppies. I was going to let Thomas sleep a little, but he woke and helped. Amazingly, we had all our puppy chores done early and were able to start school at 8.

The house was clean, the bills paid, school was going well, so I was able to start training the new puppy. Then the old puppy. I've been on the go ever since.

I'm exhausted. Thomas has already done his math, science, geography and art this morning. He's reading now, the puppies are in their ex-pens, and here I sit trying to catch my breath on the Internet. It feels nice to not be on the go.

And there you have it. My crappy few days in gory detail. Maybe today I'll actually take some more photos of the puppies! Although, we keep them separated 90% of the time so they bond to us not each other, so they'll probably be individual photos.

I think I shall take a nap this afternoon.

Frugal Friday

Another Frugal Friday is here. I have lots of things I want to write about, but today's thoughts out loud are focused on health.

It's cheaper to be healthy than unhealthy. It makes one feel better, too.

Currently I'm on two medications, one for high triglycerides and one to help me sleep. $50 a month, and that's with insurance. (And yes, I know that's cheap compared to what some people are on.) It's highly likely that if I were to lose weight and exercise daily, I could get off that triglyceride medication. Perhaps the sleeping pills, too.

I always feel icky. I have aches, pains, headaches. My back hurts, my feet hurt, my legs hurt. I get out of breath, I have no energy and I just feel blah.

I used to be a member of Weight Watchers. I love the program. I know it inside and out. I've decided to not spend the money and join again, saving me about $14 a week. Instead, I'll do it on my own. I'll be accountable to myself.

That is the single-most important thing for me to focus on at this time: my health. It wills save me money in many ways.

Exercise is another important ingredient. I'm not going to join a gym -- too expensive, plus I don't like gyms. I was a member of Curves for a long time a few years ago. I liked it okay, and I was able to maintain my weight loss with exercise alone, but it was $30 a month, Thomas was in school then and so I was able to get there at convenient-to-me times (when it wasn't crowded) and I had the money to do it. Now I prefer to save the money, I don't want to go when it's crowded, and I choose to stay at home.

Right now I just need to get moving. I have a puppy, he needs to walk. Free exercise. When it's icy out, we go to one of the city parks because they keep the sidewalks there ice free. So no excuses. I also have a million exercise videos. I love Richard Simmons. I have many others to choose from, too. (Garage sale finds!)

Food: Well, eating healthier will cost a little more starting out. I'll need to stock up, watch sales for chicken, turkey and healthier protein choices and pantry items. I'll have to watch sales very carefully. I'll also be making more trips to the store to stock up on fresh foods.

Careful menu planning will help. I took all of my favorite WW recipes and organized them on one sheet into categories such as Mexican, Italian, beef, chicken, crock pot, etc. That helps a lot when I'm planning. I then plan one month's worth of dinner menus at a time. That way we're able to get variety in what we eat, and we have a little leeway if we're in the mood for something -- I can move things around.

I have looked into The Grocery Game but I don't know that it would work for us. I rarely use coupons because I don't use a lot products that offer coupons. I might revisit this and try their $1 trial, but I have my doubts. I think watching sales ads on my own will work better.

My favorite source of Weight Watchers recipes can be found here. Homemade snacks for Thomas and Bob are in order, which means me being in the kitchen more, but it's cheaper and healthier than buying prepackaged stuff.

Good health is more cost-effective than bad health. If I can take the steps to be healthier, I will save money because I'll have more energy to do more.

hmmm...not your average frugal post, is it?

Just think of all the books I can buy if I get off those medications...$50 a month!

Some cheese with that whine?

It's 1:08 am. I woke so hot that I thought I would burst into flames. We went to bed early tonight because this mom's sick. Fever, aches, pains, sore throat, and full of whine.

Our back to school has fizzled. Wednesday Thomas did math and then complained of not feeling well. I felt his forehead and he was burning up. He spent the rest of the day on the couch, and was feeling much better by evening.

Thursday was my turn. Only I'm not feeling any better. Thomas did math with me by his side, then he did science on his own. He then read. He's started one of the Harry Potter books. Amazingly, he hasn't read any of them yet. His comment to me was cute: "Mom, reading the book is like *being* there. I love it. It's much better than the movie." Gee, I've been trying to get him to read all those HP books since forever. Although the movies are great, the books are better.

My house is a pit. I have bills stacked to pay. I do have groceries, though. I hate it when my house is a pit and I have bills to pay. Huge weight on my shoulders. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have a little more zip and will be able to get some of those tasks done.

Tesla, our second puppy, will be coming this weekend. Finally. He had a virus and ran a slight fever so she couldn't vaccinate him, plus she put him on antibiotics. He was fine and back to normal a couple days later, but she had to wait a few days before vaccinating. Then she had to wait a few days more before shipping. It all worked out for the best as we were supposed to get him December 27. That's the day we lost Jerry, so we really needed that time to mourn. Now we'll be in happy moods for Tesla's arrival.

We'll be very busy this weekend! And it's supposed to be warm, near 40 -- shorts weather! -- an added bonus.

So I think I'll try to go to bed again. My Motrin has kicked in and I'm feeling a tad bit better. Wishing I had Harry Potter's wand so I could wave it to clean up the house!

Happy New Year

From our home to yours, we wish you the best for 2008!

And may it be happy -- as Thomas is with his new puppy.

Africa Studies

Two links useful for studying the Africa countries and capitals:

Name the African Countries -- the country name is give, you click on its geographical location.

Learn the capitals of African countries, after you've memorized the countries, that is.

Nations of the World

Here's a cute video that sings the videos of the world. It's dated and there are errors in it, according to today's geography, but fun nonetheless.

Frugal Friday on Saturday

Topic: Books

Audrey at A Small Corner of Nowhere didn't just talk about Frugal Friday, she jumped right in.

And she hit a subject near and dear to my heart (and almost every homeschooler's heart, books!)

Hop on over and read her post.

Her post got me to thinking about some things. I don't use the library as much as I could/should. I think 2008 we'll strive to improve that.

I don't use the library that often because when we study something and I look for books, half are checked out, and it's usually the good half that are gone. Well, our library does have a system that you can place holds on books. So being organized would be the key to avoiding that problem. Organization is also the key for requesting ILLs so that they arrive when we want them.

I love to buy books, but as Audrey points out, we are disappointed with so many. My latest book purchase from Amazon cost $80ish. We got several books, but the one that Thomas really loved was the Eyewitness Africa book. That is one that he has read from cover to cover more than once. Facing the Lion was his second favorite. So only two of the books I bought satisfied Thomas. The rest, although not waste, was waste. lol

Another issue I have with buying books is that I have only one child. I don't have a bunch of kiddos to pass the books on to. That really does make a huge difference. If I had a house full of kids, I could see purchasing more as I'd get more bang for the buck.

I buy a lot of books at garage sales. We only have one thrift store in town, and the past couple of years their book selections have been dismal. I like to look for used books online, but with shipping, that adds up. Our Rotary Club has an annual book sale in the fall. Our library also has two book sales a year, and books are cheap. Other than that, we'd have to travel to a nearby city to find decent, used books. My small town does not have a book store!

Audrey also discussed the use of credit cards. I want to quit using credit cards this year. Impossible, for a homeschooling mom in a small town that has to order a lot online. My idea was to start a separate checking account of my own. Proceeds of anything I sell will go into the account. I'll budget so much per month to go into the account as well. I will get a check card/credit card to use with it so that I can buy online. The only difference is that I can't spend money that's not in the account. That will force me to choose very carefully what I actually buy. That will also make things easier for tax time, because in Minnesota, we get to claim our educational expenses on our state income taxes.

The Homer Simpson Rule

Awhile ago, our family was gathered in front of the television watching The Simpsons. We like it, we think it's funny. It doesn't take much to amuse us.

The particular episode we were watching had a kitchen trash can that everyone walked by, carefully added their trash, then walked away. It grew taller and taller and taller. Finally Homer put something on it and the whole pile went crashing.

That's when Bart and Lisa did their irritating laughs and reminded Homer of the rule: He who knocks the pile over has to take out the trash.

Well, I think we've been watching too many cartoons. The past few days I've been walking by our recycling pile, carefully adding to it, and so has Bob and Thomas. Surely, it has got to come down tomorrow. I wonder who will knock it over.

Frugal Friday

I've been toying with the idea of having a Frugral Friday post every week. I need it.

It seems that I've worked us up into a little bit of debt with which I'm not comfortable with. It will take awhile to get it paid off. That's a New Year's resolution or just a plain common-sense goal.

Time to visit my bookshelf and dust off my dated Tightwad Gazette books. I won't, repeat, won't be making popcicles out of the grape jelly jar reminants. I don't remember if that was in her book or if she mentioned it while on Oprah years ago, but ewww.

It's tough being a single-income family these days. It's even tougher when the mom of that family likes to buy books. And other stuff. And has an "I'm deserving" mentality.

I've put lots of thought into this for awhile: how to save money. I have lots of ideas floating around in my head. I don't know if many would save or not. I have to balance with my energy expenditure -- is it worth it. I need to start scouring the web for up-to-date skinflint sites. I need inspiration.

Next Friday I'll start with real posts on how I'm going to save money, reduce debt and feel a little better. For now, smoke will be coming from my ears as I think this through.

Goodbye, Jerry Lee

Rest in Peace
2001-2007

Reflections

Coal for Jerry Lee!!!

We had a lovely Christmas Eve dinner. Bob bought wonderful steaks, and I baked some potatoes and warmed some brown-n-serve rolls. A nice green salad complimented the meal.

The table was set with my finest. Great-grandma's wine glasses, grandmother's salt and pepper shakers, mom's candle holders. A beautiful silver table cloth that I got especially for Christmas, and bright red plates.

It was perfect. For us. Not for a magazine. Bob was outside grilling, and I had just put the bun basket on the table. I turned to do something, turned back around and we were missing three dinner rolls.

Was it Jerry Lee or Apollo? Apollo is growing by leaps and bounds, but there was no way he could have reached the rolls. Jerry was the culprit. I didn't get mad, I actually chuckled. I threw some more rolls in the oven quickly.

When Bob came in, he was not happy. He doesn't want a dog grazing from our table. I told him to cut him some slack, he's dying after all, and we'll laugh about it some day.

We sat down, Bob gave a beautiful prayer, and we indulged in our Christmas Eve feast.

While we ate, Jerry kept pacing to the counter and back to the table. Bob informed me that he had purchased a pack of steaks, so there were four, not three. He grilled the fourth and figured we could have a steak sandwich for lunch tomorrow.

We finished our meal, Bob and I went outside for a minute, (after-dinner smoke) then came back in to put food up and clean up. On the counter, clear against the wall, was the plate where the steak had been. Some how, some way, Jerry Lee had got to that steak and had himself a nice Christmas Eve dinner.

It's mind boggling to both of us how he was able to get it. Our dog, the very dog that we've been struggling with "the" decision all week, who has labored breathing, gets out of breath easily, and is not doing so hot, was able to get to the back of the kitchen counter and steal a steak.

We will laugh about it some day. I sure hope he enjoyed it.

I think he needs a lump of coal instead of the nice, juicy bone we got for him for Christmas. Silly boy.

Okay, secretly, I'm overjoyed that he did such a naughty thing. His days are numbered, we've had "the" discussion a few times, and when we do, he seems to rebound and recover fast -- as if he knows. It has been a wonderful gift that we have been given so much extra time with him. He was only supposed to live until October 15, according to both vets. His being here was a wonderful Christmas gift.

I just hope Apollo did not see him in the act. We don't want puppy learning naughty things!

We really have been struggling with our decision. I just ordered him new medications, and I have been ordering a month's worth at a time. This time I ordered 15 days' worth. We pick up the second puppy, Tesla, on the 27th. Two puppies might just do him in. Then again, I have caught him bouncing around in the snow with Apollo. We have only seen him in pain one time, and that was when we had the first talk. I was going to call the vet the next morning, a Saturday. The next morning, he was fine. That Sunday, he was running up and down the stairs.

This is so hard. However, I am so thankful that we have Apollo and soon Tesla. Their arrival into our home takes the focus off the sadness. They've brought us joy when we really needed it. Apollo has definitely given Jerry a run for his money. If I dare say it, I think Apollo has given Jerry further will to live. Jerry is a jealous boy, and he wants me all to himself. So he gets right up, stands in front of me to protect me from the cute little puppy. He has barked at the puppy with the puppy was mouthing too hard on his humans. He has growled a few times when he didn't want to be disturbed yet the puppy wanted to crawl all over his head. He has given up all hope that the puppy will actually leave.

I love my Jerry Lee. I hope he enjoyed his steak. We will laugh and laugh about this for years to come, when we're remembering him fondly. I won't give him coal, but I do think all will be forgiven tomorrow and he'll get his juicy bone.

Jerry's being here for Christmas is truly the best Christmas gift this family has received this year.

Merry Christmas

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

While I am a Christian, I do have a great sense of humor. I didn't hear any cursing in this video, which is why I'm posting it. I find it funny because I can never remember the words to songs -- ever. I always invent my own. So this was very in line with who I am.

May Santa be good to you all.

Tired Tuesday and Con Men

Yesterday Thomas did his two subjects in school: Three pages of math (with balking) and Nonfiction Reading. Today, he did the same.

Yesterday I was feeling daring and brave. I had things to do. I broke my rule about going out in public during school hours.

I don't know why I have that rule. I feel very uncomfortable in our town out and about while all the other kids are in school. Yesterday it was delightful. We did Christmas shopping and went to lunch. (Don't tell Bob!) We shopped til we dropped. I was so tired by the time we got home, that we ordered Pizza Hut. Yum.

Today? We did it again. Today's plans were to finalize shopping and then come home and start baking. Well, that didn't work out. We finished shopping, I ran Thomas to his art class, and I came home. I held Apollo and petted Jerry at the same time. In a blink of an eye it was time to go get Thomas again, and we also stopped at the grocery store. I had nothing for dinner. I bought hamburger so Bob could cook up some burgers because, wah, I was tired.

My mom could shop all day and into the night with an indefatigable spirit. Me? I'm exhausted after two stores. Christmas season has us darting to every store there is, and walking on all those hard surfaces hurts my back and feet and legs. I wish I had my mom's energy for shopping. I've never been much of a shopper.

When our Wal-mart opened, I noticed a lot of people with backpacks begging right next to it. That was something we didn't see in our little town. Today, right down the road from Wal-mart, I had just got out of my car to gas up. A man in a white car, which I had noticed when I pulled in, approached me. He started telling me a sob story about how he was stranded here with no money, a job promise that fell through, and he and his wife had slept in their car for five days straight. He told me numerous times he was a Christian. I stood there staring at him, not saying a word, because I couldn't have got a word in edgewise. He told me he was from Kentucky.

He then showed me a 20- and 5-dollar bill. He said some kind lady gave him this cash, and could I please--Frankie interrupts. Nope, I don't have any cash, sorry. There is a Salvation Army at the corner of Main and North Street. He bumbled a sarcastic thanks, and drove to the next unsuspecting victim. I forced Thomas to come into the store with me, told the clerk there was a panhandler out there with Missouri licence plates (not Kentucky) and we were trying to get the license plate when he noticed and sped off.

There were four other customers in the store and the all said he had hit them up for money.

I'm not in the spirit, am I?

In the first place, if I were to bestow charity upon someone in need, I couldn't care less if he were a Christian, a Martian or whatever. Why should that matter? I don't get that. Why do people play the Christian card? Perhaps because the fundamentalist movement is so strong. Instead of making me sympathetic, it really turned me off and fast.

In the second place, he was a con artist. I sat in a courtroom for 11 years, I've seen criminals on every single level and lots of them. I had him pegged in 10 seconds flat.

What a discussion Thomas and I had. See, Thomas felt really sorry for him -- at first. As he has every single backpack-wielding, sign-holding beggar we've seen near the new Wal-mart.

We discussed need, charity and con men. Thomas couldn't understand why we were trying to get his license plate. Thomas also couldn't understand why he drove off after I mentioned where the Salvation Army was.

I hate bursting the trusting bubble of a child. Yet, I want him to be wise to the world.

Ho Ho Ho

Maybe tomorrow we'll get to our baking -- after we run more errands and take Apollo for his first vet visit. I'm ready for a day at home.

Sunday Evening

Yeah, Todd, winner of Survivor! I liked him, Denise, and I loved James. I'm glad Todd won.

I haven't had a lot to blog about lately. We've been plugging away at school. Thomas has continued his study of Africa with gusto. We've been getting our "core
5" done on a daily basis. For us, this has just been the year of the dog.

Friday night Jerry had a very bad night. He lost the shine in his eyes, his breathing was extremely labored and we thought he was in pain. We had a family talk and decided to call the vet on Monday morning. Gulp. Well, he has rebounded. Saturday was better and today he was his normal self. Shine was back in his eyes, tail wagging, and he bounded up and down the stairs several times.

The time is nearing, though. I feel it. Bob feels it. Thomas is in denial. Hard for a 12 year old kid -- hard for anyone, but harder for a kid.

I don't want Jer to suffer, and Friday night I felt that he was. So we'll keep a very close watch.

Apollo is doing wonderful! He is such a joy and brings us so much hope and happiness. He learned to roll over in a matter of minutes. He is just as smart as a whip.

I'm excited for Tesla to come, but with Christmas, it takes my focus away from that time waiting. I ordered a bunch of little stuff online Saturday and hope it comes in time. I went to Wal-mart all by myself, too. Wal-mart is this bored housewife's favorite place to go on a Saturday night.

Tomorrow we're going to drop down to two subjects daily: Math and whatever Thomas chooses. He's working the Key To Fractions book right now and I have requested three pages a day. He begged for two with another subject thrown in. I'm mean, I said no. He hates math worse than I hate paying bills.

Our breeder hooked Thomas up with a young man from Italy who is also getting a border collie. They've been emailing back and forth. His English is very good. He's older, 16, but very friendly. It's a small world, and very exciting to have a new e-penpal. This boy's mom is on an agility world team, and they have four dogs. So perhaps he'll give Thomas some doggie tips.

I have been busy preparing for Tesla. Getting two puppies at the same time is never advisable. Ever. lol We had a long talk with the breeder, I asked lots of questions, as did she, and we determined we could make it work and work well.

The trick is to keep the pups separated. They won't eat together, they won't sleep together, walk together, train together and they won't be together. Well, for about 90% of the time. Thus, we'll probably have puppy playtime for 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening. This will go on until they're about five months old. They then can be together more frequently.

The reason to do this is so that they bond with their humans, not each other. There will be plenty of time for them to bond together. They need to know that humans are the best thing on the planet.

We have purchased two ex-pens. I call them puppy playpens. One is in our living room, and the other, when it gets here, will be in our basement. Our pups are also crate trained. We have a wonderful breeder who actually trains them before they leave her home. So they've been used to being in a crate since 6 weeks old working up to four hours in the evenings by 9 weeks. Apollo is wonderful in his crate and always has been.

This will be a lot of work, time consuming, and hard, but lots of fun, too. I am so excited for Tesla to come because I have really held myself back from Apollo so his bond would be strong with Thomas. It is.

This week we will start our holiday baking. Snickerdoodles, chocolate dipped peanut butter balls (taste like Reeses), fudge, and chocolate chip bar cookies. Lots of 'em. I'll need to start my diet ASAP, I fear.

We're also going to try a real gingerbread house. I saved candy all year for that.

And that's my life in a nutshell on a Sunday night.

Can't Keep a Secret

I can't keep another secret. Our breeder called today with great news. The puppy I fell in love with was available to us! I am beyond thrilled. So are Bob and Thomas. So is Apollo, but he doesn't know it yet.

The breeder is so fantastic, that she's going to send him a few days early. She typically ships the pups when they're 9 weeks old, but she's going to ship him a few days early so we can enjoy him while Bob has time off for the holidays.

He'll be arriving on December 27. What a Christmas present!

This guy's litter name was Batman, but we are changing it to Tesla. Bob, the electrical engineer, picked the name Tesla after Nikola Tesla, the great electrical engineer.

We are overjoyed!

Good or Bad? Geography!

As I mentioned before, I had planned on doing a unit on Africa. I went ahead and ordered a few books from Amazon:

Eyewitness: Africa
Facing the Lion: Growing Up Maasai on the African Savanna by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton
Africa for Kids: Exploring a Vibrant Continent, 19 Activities (For Kids series)
The Kids Multicultural Craft Book: 35 Crafts from Around the World (Williamson Multicultural Kids Can! Book
Africa Evan-Moor Workbook
Material World: A Global Family Portrait

My plan was to look through all the books, check our resources on the shelf, check the library and put together a unit study.

Thomas saw the books. He has already read Facing the Lion, which he proclaimed is his new favorite book. (He says that after every book he finishes--almost.) I am reading it too--a short book, but very good. He has also read Africa for Kids and Eyewitness Africa.

How on earth am I to put together a unit study if the kid pulls the books from under my nose and beats me to it? Huh? lol I guess I won't. We'll do the Evan-Moor workbook, study the countries of Africa and try to memorize them, and check out some more library books.

I love all the books we bought but for ... The Kids Multicultural Craft Book. It's okay. It would be great for a class setting. We looked through the Africa projects and some looked okay, but I don't know how many we'll do. I guess it's nice to have on the shelf. Would be better for a younger family, though.

Blog?

A friend of mine asked me why I haven't blogged lately. Um -- baby in the house?? Is that a good excuse?

I also don't know what to blog about other than my beautiful puppy, my loving and loyal companion Jerry Lee, my gorgeous son who lights my life.

We've been going on fumes here. We have a big white board in the kitchen. The week we got Apollo, I wrote: Reading/Science, Math, Writing, History, Spelling. Those were the cores that we simply must do while we are adjusting to the puppy. I combined reading and science, which really is cheating. Thomas reads from a science text book I bought. (It's actually good, I'm not anti-text in this case.)

Today he had an experiment to perform: Put an egg in 250 ml vinegar and measure another jar and put 250 ml Karo syrup in that. He wrote out his beautiful chart, in Sharpie marker, no less, measured carefully, and dropped his egg in. The bubbles started immediately and he was excited when the egg floated. His guess is that the egg will change shape. This experiment is supposed to take 3 days. I admit I have not read the book so I don't know what the Karo syrup is for yet. I have a guess, the chapter is on osmosis.

So, we've been plowing along doing our core stuff every day. We've been listening to Joy Hakim on the Zen. Did I ever mention we bought a Zen? Ah, something to blog about tomorrow. Today I set my nap alarm for 30 minutes when we started Ms. Hakim up. When the alarm went off, Thomas was fast asleep. Yup, being a parent will exhaust you. Poor kid, I woke him up and barked orders to take your puppy potty.

It was colder than um, please forgive, this is my dad's phrase I heard all my life, it's been colder than snot here today. I don't know where that phrase originated and why I continue to use it other than habit. Dad also says, "He's worse than a fart in a skillet." That one I get and actually use in real life on rare occasion. It's still gross, though. Could those be Hoosierisms? Anyway, the cold -- poor Thomas sat at the kitchen table doing work today wearing a pair if sweatpants, a red sweatshirt, and his snow bibs. I have to get a picture of him in his snow bibs. He's had the same pair for three years running. They still fit around the middle, but now the go to about the middle of his shins. It doesn't matter because he tucks them into his boots, but it is a really bad case of high waters. Our kitchen wasn't that cold, but we're housebreaking a puppy and that means constant runs outside. So he just gave up and kept the snow gear on. Perhaps I could turn the heat down and we could save on our gas bill? Eh? (As they say in Minnesota and a nasty one I picked up and say all the time.) Eh? Eh? <--Frankie says way too often, but no one ever answers.

So school has been getting done. Cooking has been done. Grocery shopping, check. Art classes, check. After-school hang out: Nope. Thomas was going to go today but he didn't have a clean pair of jeans. We both thought it inappropriate for him to wear red sweat pants and shirt to the hang out. Fine for home, but not out and about. So he didn't get to go.

This afternoon after school, the DHL man came. He brought to me an Ex Pen. It's 3 feet tall and has eight 2-foot wide panels. It's containment for Apollo. Got that all set up in the school room. Our school room is so small that now we cannot walk in there. Worried about it being on carpet. Off we went to the local Railroad Salvage Store. At that store they sell carpeting and flooring. They used to sell furniture, too. Our living room was furnished from floor to ceiling by them. Cheap, but good enough quality.

I went up to the nice man and told him what I had, an Ex pen for a puppy, and I needed some vinyl to put under it. He asked if I was going to glue it down. OH no, I'm going to save the ugly 30-year-old carpet underneath from the puppy. OH, he got it then. He took me to the remnants. I need 4 1/2 by 4 1/2 for my 4x4 Ex Pen. I started seeing pricetags of $120, $150, and thought...well, this is a g-rated blog, so I won't tell you what I thought. It began with an S, though. Then the nice man picked up an ugly black piece of industrial vinyl. It was 5 by 6 or 7, he thought. I asked how much. FIVE BUCKS. I couldn't believe it! Five dollars? Woo-hoo, my lucky day. I didn't care that it was black. He even carried it to the car for me, what a gentleman. I think he knows me (but I don't know him) because he knows Bob. This is a small town so everyone knows of someone else by site here. I was thrilled!

Got that set up. Puppy liked it. Went in, peed all over it. Welcome to my world. Cleaned it up, and then he enjoyed it. So he can move around while we're doing school. Trouble is, we've been doing school at the kitchen table again this year. The rest of the school room is so stuffed it may just explode. So tomorrow on the agenda is to get that organized.

Right now life revolves around Reading/Science, Math, Writing, Spelling and History. When that is done, it is glorious. Now I need to step it up a notch and get the dishes done, the laundry done, and the floors scrubbed, the bills paid, etc.

Right as the DHL man was leaving, the UPS man pulled in. My Amazon order came. I bought: How to Train a New Dog Old Tricks, recommended by my breeder. Haven't had a chance to read it. Oh, yeah, and don't tell Bob: I also bought $60 worth of books on Africa. Will post more on that later, after I get everything outlined.

Here I sit, at 11 at night, when I should be in bed. Apollo slept through the night last night, and I'm ever so hopeful he'll do the same tonight. I'm ever so hopeful I'll get my house back in order again.

And I'm ever so proud of Thomas. He's doing a fantastic job with his puppy. he LOVES, LOVES, LOVES his puppy. His puppy follows him everywhere. That's the kind of thing that makes a mom's heart melt. Thomas admitted to me today that it is getting old. I asked what was getting old? ALL THE WORK, mom. I need a break. I can't even watch a TV program at night. (He rarely watches TV) I smiled and said, "Welcome to parenthood."



And just not to leave my beloved Jerry Lee out of things, here he is. Notice his horribly long nails. He hates having them done, we can't do them at home, and the vet has to muzzle him. We decided not to traumatize him by taking him to the vet to get them clipped. Little did we know he'd last so long and they've double in size since he was diagnosed. Poor guy. Also notice how large his belly is. I love that guy.

Africa

I am going to be putting together a unit study for Thomas on Africa this week. I have found some books that look good, but thought I'd ask my friends if they have any extraordinary books on the subject.

When I get everything organized, I'll post it here and perhaps it can give someone else a jumping off point for their own Africa study.

Favorite books
movies
songs
foods
animals...

Any ideas are welcome.

Thanks!

Adjusting Well

I cannot begin to describe the amount of joy that this little critter has brought to us. This year it has felt as if as rain cloud was permanently above us. Things were just so sad. That's still there, Jerry is still dying, but Apollo has brought us hope and joy and laughs and snuggles.

Jerry has developed little blood-blister type things on his belly. His eyes are also extremely red and/or bloodshot. He's still perky, wags his tail and is not showing any signs of pain. My heart aches for him. It aches for me, because I will miss him so. I've been mourning his loss since we got the news, though, and that's not good. I try to focus on living in the moment, as Jerry does.

At any rate, the mood has changed drastically in this house. Apollo was the god of medicine and healing, among other things. He's done a great deal to heal us already.

And he's so darned cute, too.

Adjusting Well

I cannot begin to describe the amount of joy that this little critter has brought to us. This year it has felt as if as rain cloud was permanently above us. Things were just so sad. That's still there, Jerry is still dying, but Apollo has brought us hope and joy and laughs and snuggles.

Jerry has developed little blood-blister type things on his belly. His eyes are also extremely red and/or bloodshot. He's still perky, wags his tail and is not showing any signs of pain. My heart aches for him. It aches for me, because I will miss him so. I've been mourning his loss since we got the news, though, and that's not good. I try to focus on living in the moment, as Jerry does.

At any rate, the mood has changed drastically in this house. Apollo was the god of medicine and healing, among other things. He's done a great deal to heal us already.

And he's so darned cute, too.

Surprise!

Please meet the newest member of our family: Apollo.

We were going to name him MacLeod with the call name Mac. His litter name was Apollo. When we picked him up at the airport today, we started calling him Apollo immediately.

He is a border collie. He's nine weeks old today. He is absolutely precious. We are in love.

Jerry Lee would prefer to be the only dog, though.

And just guess how crazy we are? We put a deposit down on two pups. So we're on the waiting list for our second. One for Thomas, one for me. Apollo was supposed to be mine, but Thomas just wouldn't have that! That's fine, as it was a very good match between the two.

Our hopes are to do agility. If we can find a 4H Dog Program, I'd like Thomas to do that, too.

This is the BEST breeder. Apollo comes to us already knowing these commands: sit, down, come and wave hello. The breeder suggested clicker train starting immediately, so we did just that. Where Thomas is bending down in the photo, he's treating Apollo for coming to him when called.

We are so happy tonight! Well, Jerry's a little disgruntled, and the cats are still a little out of shape, but the people in the house are very happy!

Monday, Monday

We're still enjoying Thanksgiving leftovers. Today will probably be the last day of that, though.

Today we did a light day of school. Thomas did writing, math, read from his science book so he could kill two birds with one stone: reading/science, spelling and now he's listening to A History of Us on the Creative Zen.

Thomas is sitting on the floor playing with something some cars of his. Mom and dad are surfing on the net three feet from him.

Bob took the afternoon off today to get some things done that we didn't get done over the weekend. The snow blower is now ready to go. We haven't had but one skiff of snow so far, which is very unusual. The garage has been cleaned. The back yard "doggie duty" mess has been cleaned up. The Christmas boxes are all in the garage waiting for me to dig through them and start decorating.

We have weird neighbors so I'm not one to let Thomas run around outside during school hours. However, he did that at 1 this afternoon. It was nice having all three of us home. It was nice taking a break from school, knowing full well we would come back in and get it done on our own time frame.

We've got a very busy week ahead of us. Lots of errands, art class, a play date -- is Thomas too old to have official play dates now? I guess I should say get together. We have a lot of things we have to get done at home, too. That's partly why Bob took the afternoon off today.

I have a great big secret that I cannot reveal until Thursday night. All our errands and work relate around this secret, though.

Thursday can't come soon enough.

Gee, I wonder what that secret could be. lol

I'm Only Human -- and So is Thomas

This post contains "light" religious content, a ghost (my mom) from my past, and a crazed woman, played by Frankie.

Oh, we had bad scene in Frankie's kitchen today.

After we had our Thanksgiving feast, Bob and I were doing dishes and putting food away. I asked Thomas to take Jerry potty. Thomas is 12. He's at that age where he's pushing boundaries. He's beginning to use his voice when he doesn't want to do something. He yelled at me that I was being mean. Then he just went off on a rant, yelling at me the whole time.

When this happened, I had taken a seat and watched him reacting. I nearly scared the Thanksgiving dinner right out of him. I jumped up out of that chair faster than you can say boo, was in his face, and, not yelling, but with a firm voice stated: Don't you DARE yell at me, young man. You do as you are told. You were asked to take the dog out, and I expect you to do it. You will never be allowed to yell at me. Okay, the firm voice is putting it mildly. It was a mad woman's voice. Not yelling, yet very scary.

The look on Thomas' face was complete horror. I glanced at Bob and his eyes were as big as saucers.

Not one of my best mom moments. Nope. I felt about two inches high. No, I felt lower than a pregnant ant. (My friends and I used to use that term in elementary school.)

Thomas started crying as he took Jerry potty. When he came in, he went straight to his room. Bob quietly took over clean up duties. I sat in the table with my head in my hands. I wasn't crying, but close.

You see, my mother, who has been gone for 13 years now, came to our Thanksgiving dinner today. That's the kind of crap (ohh, bad word there) that she used to pull on her kids. On me. I vowed I would never act that way.

I blew it big time. We teach our kids that we have to be able to trust them. We teach our children that when they screw up, it will take awhile to build trust up again. So play that in reverse. How on earth will Thomas be able to trust his mother when she rants like a crazed woman.

Apologies were said, hugs were given, but I have felt deflated the rest of the evening.

I have tried to make it all better in my mind. I don't hit my child, so I was thinking: well, at least you didn't physically hit him. I bet that a hit or slap would have been easier to handle than a mom losing it. Emotional harm is just as bad, if not worse, sometimes, than the physical stuff.

Rationalizing again, what I said wasn't that bad. True. He does not have permission to yell at me. He is not allowed to show such disrespect. Period. But --as Pee Wee Herman once said, there's always a big butt involved -- I did it in a very negative, scary, bad, meanie mom kinda-way.

He's over it. He sulked for awhile and then went on with his business. He's happily playing around in the basement, close to me, with a smile on my face. I need to get over it.

Thing is, I don't like acting like my mom. I did grow up in an emotionally abusive home. I have tried my hardest to overcome all of her responses. This was pure MY MOM all the way. It's not healthy for anyone.

The other thing is: Thomas is 12. He's going through one helluva time right now. Stretching those boundaries, becoming himself, finding himself, sharing his wants, needs, desires and frustrations in new ways. Whining. A lot. Enough that one night last week I told Bob that I cannot deal, please do something with Thomas for supper because I need peace. I need quiet. I need no whines.

At this point, my mother just appeared over my shoulder. She just whispered in my ear that you get what you give. And now I can hear her laughing hysterically! You see, I was a whiner. Still am. So he's learned it all from me.

There I am again, lower than a pregnant ant.

On blogs, most people only share the great stuff. I am usually that way. This has been such a hard school year for me in so many ways. The moment Thomas turned 12, it was as if a light switch flipped and he changed. I'm having a hard time dealing with it. Not that he's growing up, but just the attitudes. All our things with animals, sick, dying, running over them with cars -- it's all taken its toll on me.

Gaaaa. I'm picturing Goldie Hawn in Overboard in the water barrel with the blank stare on her face repeatedly chanting buh buh buh buh buh buh.

That's where I feel right now.

My relationship with my son is of highest importance to me. How am I going to earn his trust back. How am I going to deal with his terrible 12s. He's been so easy up to now. Frankly, he's still easy. He's a good kid. Kind, considerate, extremely compassionate. It's just that he doesn't want to do anything, whines, whines, whines.

Buh, buh, buh, buh, buh.

So what am I thankful for today? This is going to be completely self-centered. I'm thankful I'm human. I'm thankful I screw up. When I screw up, I usually do it BIG, and then I reflect, sulk, think, think and think some more. Then I try to take action to change.

Mom's standing at my shoulder again telling me, "God won't give you more than you can handle." For my secular friends, I'll translate that: The universe won't give you more than you can handle. Or perhaps life won't give you more. (I choose God, but that's who I am.)

I'm thankful that I love my son so much that I feel like shee it right now because I hurt his feelings. I'm thankful that I'm human, so that I can learn and grow from my mistakes.

I'm mostly thankful that he has forgiven me.

God, I love that boy.

Just to share how I feel completely:

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!



Every once in awhile, your child makes something so special that you know you will cherish it forever. Thomas did just that recently.

Three weeks ago I dropped Thomas off at his ceramics class and the instructor had this big white turkey sitting on display. I begged Thomas to do this project for me. He happily agreed. It took him three weeks because it was detailed and big, but it is the best piece he has made to date.

The pictures do not come close to what it looks like in person. I tried adjusting the flash, but that still doesn't work. The red head looks very funky and cartoonish in the photos, but in real life it is stunning. Bob warned me that it would not photograph well. Of course he was right.

I am so proud. This lovely turkey will be the perfect centerpiece for all our Thanksgivings to come.

Thank you so much, Thomas.








please ignore the dirty kitchen table!!!

Merry Christmas in November

Tonight our town had its annual Christmas parade. I swear, every year it gets earlier and earlier!

Bob was rather annoyed because he didn't want to go out and about. However, he was a good sport. We enjoyed free coffee put out by a church, and bought three chocolate chip bars from them to help the coffee go down. Thomas had to pass on the free cider because he doesn't care for it.

The parade was funny! The first five floats drove by SO fast you could barely read who they represented. Then we waited. And waited. And waited some more. Finally the rest of the parade caught up.

Thomas scored a lot of candy.

I just have to talk about something, though. There was a family to the left of us. The mom was standing by Thomas. She had a daughter, about five years old. The daughter was standing about six people down from us by her grandparents. She was a cutie. So anyway, as the candy was being thrown to groups of kids as it always is, it was thrown to Thomas, who was the only kid for about 15 adults. He bent down to pick up his candy and so did the mom standing next to him. She scooped a great majority of it up, turned to Thomas and handed him one piece. She then declared the rest was for her daughter.

Now you have to know Thomas, but if there were a little child standing next to him, he'd probably give them 3/4 of the candy he picked up. He's very generous. I figured the little girl didn't get candy thrown to her. So the snarky mom that I am, I started watching. Every time Thomas had candy thrown to him and he was picking it up, I looked down at that mom's daughter. She was getting candy thrown to her, too. She was picking it up and putting it in the bag her grandma was holding. Yet her mom continued to grab Thomas' candy -- for her daughter, don't you know. I can't believe I wrote "don't you know." I am turning into a Minnesotan!

I'm mean. I pulled Thomas aside and told him he needed to be more aggressive. I told him that the candy is for kids. He was worried about the little girl and didn't mind sharing his candy. I told him I'd been watching and she got candy every time he did. So I pushed him off the sidewalk and onto the curb. Literally. I said, "If you want candy, you get the candy." He's not an aggressive child, so this is against his grain. However, he did it. They'd throw the candy to him and he'd grab to his left first, where the mom was standing, and then to his right. Momma backed off and let Thomas have his fair share.

After a few times candy was passed out, the mom changed her tactics. She then started saying, "This mom wants candy, won't you give a mom some candy, too?" So they'd give to Thomas and hand her a piece or two.

That made the parade very interesting to me. I love watching people in action. Here was a woman very well dressed, and her husband and daughter were, too. The grandparents looked affluent. So it was fun trying to figure out why she needed my son's candy.

I just had to share my snarkiness. It was a fun parade. And thankfully it was in the 40s. We have gone to the Christmas parade in the past when it was 10 degrees out. This was much more fun.

As we drove home, all the neighborhood had their Christmas decorations up and lights on. Wow, we're behind the times. We don't decorate until after Thanksgiving.

Ho, Ho, Ho

A Favorite Blog of Mine

I've been meaning to share this for a long time, but I keep forgetting. I finally remembered.

Shorpy's

This is one of my favorite blogs. Its full title is: Shorpy The 100-Year-Old-Photo Blog

Not all are 100 years old, but is a wonderful glimpse into the past. There are all kinds of photos, with many famous photographers. My favorites are the housewives of the past. Especially during the depression era.

I eagerly anticipate each new entry at Shorpy's. It's a blog that really touches me.

2 things

Too tired to blog tonight, so I'm going to be a copycat instead.

First, from Sam's blog, what kind of crappy Christmas Present are you?

You Are a Christmas Sweater!

Over the top, colorful, and totally flashy. You're not afraid to be a little tacky.

What Crappy Christmas Gift Are You?

Tacky? Um, yes, I can be very tacky. It's actually quite fun!


Second, from COD, the Blog Readability Test. Does this make me boring? Or does it mean I am so crazy that you have to be a genius to figure me out? Scary.

What could possibly give my blog, which is mostly fluff, this rating? Made me laugh for sure.

Back from the vet

We went to the local vet. Belly did indeed have an abscess that had burst. (Thanks Doc and Johnny!) He did give her a shot of cortisone and antibiotics. I have to put cream in the wound three times a day. That really hits my "eww" nerve, which is a very short nerve, but I'll manage for the love of the cat.

Whew, thankfully that's all it is and hopefully the meds will clear things right up.

You know, the vet was fine. I assume the great vet would have done the same. I think the local vet just doesn't have the end-of-life compassion that the great vet does. We've gone to the local vet for ten years. He gave my Cub Scouts a tour and was pretty good with the kids. During this tour, I point blank asked him what was the favorite part of his job. Surgery. And I think he's very good at surgery. He's just not a good people person, and isn't good with the death part.

He is always great at answering Thomas' million and one questions that he asks, though.

What a morning. Our other kitty, Snowball, escaped this morning. (Our cats are indoor cats because in our town it's illegal for cats to be outside.) I spent 20 minutes trying to find him. I came within a foot several times, but he is too fast for this old lady. So he's still out and about, but he's staying in our yard. Hopefully he'll get tired and come in soon.

We haven't done school. Not one single thing. So it's going to be a busy afternoon. Plus Bob decided to take the afternoon off from work. It's more difficult doing school with Bob around because he breaks up our routine. Oh well.

Time for a math test, some art, some history and science. I think we'll skip all the other stuff today.

Oh no

My heart hurts tonight, even worse than it's been lately.

We bought the cats new cat food tonight and I mixed it with the old cat food. I couldn't find my black and white kitty so I went searching. She was on my bed. I picked her up and she was crying, but she's not one that likes to be held unless it's on her terms, so I figured she was just unhappy. I brought her to the kitchen and her food bowl.

Thomas let out a shriek. "Mom, look at her butt!" It's actually on the far left side of her hind quarters, but there is a huge open sore that is completely gross and disgusting looking. She didn't want any food, and wanted out of there-NOW. I gently picked her up and took her back to my bedroom.

I have no idea what it is. My stomach is churning. She was fine all day, she begged for a bite of my lunch, she let me know when the water bowl was empty. She was moving around just find and I didn't see the sore earlier today.

I'll be calling a vet first thing tomorrow. Here's my dilemma. Do I call the old vet, who has all her records, and has treated her for the past 10 years OR do I call the new vet that is fantastic but an hour and a half away. (Well, okay, an hour and 15 minutes.)

The old vet has NO compassion and we did not feel comfortable with his treatment of Jerry Lee. Jerry would be long gone by now had we not found the new vet for a second opinion. He has been good, though, just for routine stuff. I was going to get a copy of the cats' records and send them to the new vet, I just hadn't got around to it.

Isabelle, or Belly as I call her, is 13 years old.

It's raining and snowing tonight, both. First snow I've seen all year. And it's supposed to get down to 27, so the chicken that I am, I don't want to drive an hour and a half first thing in the morning on icy roads. It will thaw quickly as it's supposed to warm up, but....

aaaack, what do I do. How do I make my kitty comfy tonight?

I just can't lose two animals at once. It will do me in. I hope it's just some weird thing that can be cured easily. I know I'm panicking prematurely, not knowing what this is, but my luck with animals lately has just really sucked.

AAARRRGGGHHH

***
On a more positive note:

We had a fantastic school day today. Everything clicked. I love it when that happens. In fact, it's been a really great, productive week.

We resumed our Spanish studies this week. I kind of "conveniently forgot" to do Spanish for a long time. I struggle with the vocabulary. We are going SO slow, but we are using a college text. Thanks, Bob, for refusing to get rid of your college textbooks. It's starting to sink in, and I think we'll just continue to take little bites out of the text every day. It's amazing that my 42-year-old brain isn't the sponge it once was.

A funny

Warning: This video contains nudity. Male. But not frontal. And it's not a 1500's statue, either. It's funny. Thomas thinks it's funny, too.

A Very Scary Post

Be forwarned, this is a freightening post. Think cobwebs, dark, dank, creepy, scary places...

Welcome to my basement.

The photo you are about to see is of the stairs. Please, do not be jealous of my beautiful carpeting. It is original to the house and in mint condition. They just don't make it like that anymore. In fact, I think it is impossible to be desroyed.

Please, do not be jealous of our exposure: Poorly-laid dry wall, exposed joists, cobwebs, extension cords, phone cords, support beams.

It is the design style we have chosen: CHEAP, CAME WITH THE HOUSE. (I did add the rather cute construction paper triangles to cheer the place up. GAG)

Seriously, the photo is taken from my computer chair. Every night Jerry Lee lays on that stair staring at me. I can feel his stares, they are so intense. If I ignore him, he begins to breathe heavy. Heavier, and heavier -- it is actually creepy. The dog knows how to touch my soul by creepig me out. There's nothing worse than sitting here, reading a favorite blog, then the feeling someone is watching and the breathing starts. Sends chills down my spine every time. I should know better, he does this every single night. I just had to take a photo of it for remembering.

All he wants is to go potty and get his peanut butter treat (with hidden medications inside.)

Crazy dog, God love him.

I don't let anyone into my ugly basement. So here I am, putting it on the internet. Go figure.

Election Day

Thomas and I ended school early today and drove to the polls. Two questions were on the ballot this year.

1) Yada yada yada...should we give the school district $20 million to build a new school.

2) Yada yada If number 1 passes, should we give them an additional $9 million for maintenance of the current schools?

NO -- NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!

Our schools are really weird here. There's one school for K-2 for the whole city. There's another school for 3-6 for the entire city. High school is 7th-12th grade for the entire city. That bugged me before I ever sent Thomas off to kindergarten.

They want to close the K-2 school and build new next to the 3-6 school. A few years ago they used to have a 3-4 school and it was really close to our house. They closed that and packed the kids together at the middle school. It is just strange.

Anyway, they just need to learn how to budget their money for the repairs they need to make. I've been to the school they want to close many, many times. The only thing I saw wrong with it was that the ceiling tiles in the basement needed repair. What I didn't see wrong, but I suspect they need, is to replace the heating system.

Let's throw the baby out with the bath water and just build a brand-new school instead. I would vote for needed repairs in a heartbeat. I don't understand why they don't budget that to begin with, though.

And on another note, I am proud to announce that this blog is:

I knew this was a G-rated blog even before I checked out that website. Thomas reads the blog so I mind my manners. I know that some moms and kids read my blog, too. I keep it clean.

Speaking of elections, when are the powers that be going to include some categories that glorify home education? Categories such as best science blog, best literary blog, best math blog, best art blog, etc.? The stuff that really counts and puts homeschooling in a good light? You know, academics? Isn't that what homeschooling is all about? There are some fantastic blogs out there that really should receive such an award. That has always seemed so obvious to me and I've never understood why those types of blogs aren't first on their list. ???