I Want Purple

First off, I am no political expert nor do I claim to be. This is a post based on feelings. This is a historical time in our lives...this is how I'm processing a few things.

This country is going through a lot of mixed emotions right now. Everyone has an opinion of how this election has personally affected their own lives and you'd be lying if you said you didn't. But I think that's okay. It's okay that some of you are excited about some things and some of you are terrified about others. It's okay that some of you are gung ho to move to Colorado ;-) It's just not okay to continually attack each other for what we feel. I, like apparently most Americans based on how close this vote really was, would have liked to take a few parts blue and a few parts red, thrown them together and got me some purple. But you know what? It didn't happen. First off I trust my God! And I am going to have to trust my President now. I'm going to have to believe that when he said "we have some work to do" he means it. Which means maybe cutting back on the rapping with Fallon and cups of coffee on The View. I could do without knowing his Final Four bracket and maybe a few less rounds of golf this term. I'm going to have to hope that our elected officials see how very confused as a nation we are and I'm going to have to hope that they really do want to reach across party lines and provide a better America for ALL of us. I'm going to have to hope that President Obama realizes that I am the middle class. And what he's been saying and promising, hasn't helped me. On some fronts. On others...on some ideas...there are some exciting possibilities. And I say "going to have to"  because today, today I'm sad. Today I'm worried.

 Random thoughts that they are and I promise...they are very...this is what I'm dealing with today. These are my feelings. This is what I need to get off my chest. I've never said anything negative to anyone about their political beliefs and while I guess, yes, this is a little political, I see it more as a genuine disappointment in the direction our country is going in based on what I've personally dealt with. So if you read this and think you have something mean to say. Don't. You didn't live this. You don't know. I have heard your stories, I have respected them all. I have read both sides of numerous arguments. I like to be informed. And I will admit that some of the issues make me feel a little dumb so I'll ask questions, I'll engage in conversations and I might then agree or call bullshit. I know I probably don't have all my facts straight, but who does? I do know I am not close-minded. There's a t-shirt I wear often. It says Tolerance, it incorporates many symbols for different religions, handicaps, gays...for people. There was an encounter one day while I was wearing this shirt that led me to respond "just because I'm wearing this shirt doesn't mean I'm a Democrat. And just because I'm not a Democrat, doesn't mean I'm a heartless bitch." I'm tired of labels. Of name calling. I've definitely got some views that don't line up with my party...but like I said earlier...there is no purple. And I know that everyone has their story and their issue that is important to them...this is mine.

As a young white pregnant mother in a pretty desperate situation under the Clinton administration, I was denied the help I needed to get my life on track.  I had no income, no way to get a job being 7 months along with a toddler and enrolled in 12 college hours (obviously already paid for when semester began.) But because I was a college student and still legally married and having to report my absentee husband's income I was only given two months of WIC and told that I really didn't need anything else. Two months of milk, eggs, cheese and Cheerios to help me get out of an unsafe marriage and keep a roof over my head. Meanwhile through my many government office visits I saw numerous examples of "the system" being taken advantage of. Look, first hand experience...it flat out doesn't work. I needed a hand up not a hand out. I was obviously on a path to improving my life, pursuing an education and a career to provide for my family. But at the time, for that moment... I needed a little something, anything. But not Cheerios.

 I am a very prideful person and to ask for help at all was very degrading for me. But as a mother you do what you can to protect your children. And I can tell you, I would've taken what I needed and nothing more. I would've even felt it necessary to return it when I was in a position to do so. But I wasn't given that opportunity. Instead I had to drop out of school. I had to work two jobs, one being a cocktail waitress til 4am in the morning as the mother of a TWO WEEK OLD! Taking breaks to pump breast milk while sitting in the beer cooler was a lot of fun. All the while taking care of my two young ones on my own. Having to rely heavily on my amazing mother who was busy with her own life to help watch them while I worked. Oh and the 16 year old girl who lived in the apartment across the alley who I pretty much paid to do nothing while my children were sleeping at night, except provide her with an excellent opportunity to hide condom wrappers in my couch.  But I did what I had to do to take care of me and mine. At the time I was so disheartened and saw no chance at a bright future for my family. But I did it. I came through some pretty tough times. I juggled bills, went into debt, made some very hard life choices. And because I did it...on my own...I have a pretty stubborn opinion about government and aid, or lack thereof. I am very hardened to it all. I know there are plenty of people getting what they need, what they genuinely need. I know there are plenty of people who are doing what I would have given the chance. And I know there are plenty of people who aren't. 

Luckily my story has a happy ending. I married the prince, I have the house, the car, I enjoy an occasional Starbucks coffee. And  yes, I am blessed to be a stay at home mom. Don't fault me that. My husband works hard to provide. And I am not afraid to say that I provide a very important role in this world, I work hard, it's just a different kind of work. You don't have to be employed and climbing the corporate ladder to be an empowered woman. Just ask my man...he knows ;-)

I think that both sides have a lot of good ideas. And I think both sides have a lot of bad ideas.  I pray this country can come together to make it a better nation for everyone. And I'm scared that's just not going to happen. But hopefully I'm wrong. In the meantime I will continue to wake up in the middle of the night worrying about...well...a lot. 

My main concern for this country is its people. But guess what? I'm one of those people. So are you. We all have our own needs, our own wants. I don't think that anyone can argue that this isn't a selfish nation. I am the daughter of an immigrant that busted his ass 11 hours a day, 6 days a week to live the American dream. A dream you had to work for. That wasn't handed to you.

We have all heard it. Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, feed him for a lifetime. I hate fishing. Yet I had to teach MYSELF how to do it. I would have loved some guidance. Ideally I want this country to teach each other how. If you want it, you work for it. I'm happy to help get you started but I have plenty of people in my own house I got to fish for on a daily basis...I don't need a few million others. I'd like to keep as much of my fish as possible, if there's extra, I'm happy to share. I don't think that's too much to ask for. Maybe you think that sounds mean.  It's not meant to be. But it's how I feel. Based on my experiences and my life. I'll shout it from the rooftops...I'll help you help yourself. But don't take advantage of me. Don't feel you're entitled to what my hard work has awarded me. Don't take from me because I do and you don't. There has got to be a better way. A better plan. A better way to motivate everyone to work for this American dream we all speak of. We can't keep people tethered to aid. It's not wrong that we ask that everyone try. It's not wrong that we enjoy what we have, what we worked for. And for crying out loud, it's not wrong for us to ask for a drug test when you are receiving benefits. Except, you know, maybe now in Colorado ;-)

I have four little suburban princesses. Believe me, it's hard raising them to not feel entitled where we are. But I am proud of the hard working, respectful young ladies they all are becoming.They do not have near the material possessions that many of their peers do but they understand they are blessed to have the things and the opportunities provided to them. And they do not grumble about chores, dishes, laundry. None of which I pay them for. I'm a huge fan of child labor. In my house. Not in Taiwan.  I want them to see how their hard work pays off for themselves. I want them to be able to enjoy their successes now, and when they are grown adults. I don't want them to be dependent, I don't want them to be bitter. I want them to take pride in their accomplishments and for that to be okay. I've never been a fan of everyone gets a trophy just because they're participated. And I've never ever reshuffled the Candyland deck so my kid could win. Or miscounted on Chutes and Ladders. That teaches nothing. Nothing good anyway. You go for it, you earn it. And the cliche...if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

And just to be perfectly clear, I'm not saying that Democrats want for this nation to be hobbled the way it is. No matter who won, the system is failed and it requires a lot of change. I just feel that one candidate was better suited than the other for THIS task. But I will say this. I don't want to live in a socialized nation and I do fear that's the path we are going down. It takes away from so many principles that this country was founded on. It's being proven in Europe that it doesn't work. My back up plan of one day moving to Greece if this country ever went to crap...obviously done. America's what I got. I want to be happy. And proud. And safe. And heard.

And I might want Reagan back...who didn't love the 80s?

"Break"ing it Down

So just a quick update on what is going on in our world...

I have a new nephew. He's precious. And I would have walked right out of the hospital with him if it weren't for that darn ankle bracelet. And he's not broken. He's just perfect. All nine pounds plus of him.

I had a wonderful (and much needed) girls' weekend away. It was so low key, perfect. Laid back, chilling at the hotel, lots of food and some shopping. I did not get the 125 dollar margarita. However I did get this:

It's my new favorite thing.

I also have an upper respiratory infection. I don't ever go to the doctor for myself. Guess what? I did, because it sucks that bad. And let me tell you...the meds he gave me to kick this infection are worse than the infection itself. I, who never experience any of the side effects listed on the Walgreens CYA pamphlet, am experiencing several. My least fun one is "leaves a bad taste in your mouth". It's not good when the taste of your own saliva makes you want to vomit. And the cough medicine. Forget it. I took one dose and that's all I'm going to do. Disgusting. THREE spoonfuls of brown sugar and it still wasn't going down. But I guess the pills are working because I can breathe again.

Alli still has a broken knee. Well, I guess that's not the official diagnosis. But it's not working, so therefore, it's broken. One urgent care visit, one ER visit and today a trip to the orthopedic doctor. And when they took her to x-ray it, her kneecap was nonexistent. I mean it would not show up on the film. But we know it's there because we can feel it. It's weird, the whole thing is just weird.

So the next step is an MRI. Which is scheduled for tomorrow night, Friday at 11pm. You have got to be kidding me. But I guess it's better than the Saturday morning 5am slot. Geez. I'd wait til next week if we weren't in such a hurry to get results and figure out exactly what the heck is going on.

You see, Alli and I and her fabulous high school choir are going to Disney next week. And we told the doctor this. And he said that when he gets the results of the MRI, then we can "discuss" the Disney trip. To which I replied "there will be no discussing, we're going". And if you have to write a doctor's excuse for us to rent a wheelchair and make it to the front of the line, then that's just what you'll do. In fact...maybe something good will actually come of this stupid knee.

Abby dropped her Kindle. The screen is frozen. It looks like a digital crack. I'm letting the battery die so we can turn it back on before I have to endure hours on the phone with customer support. Oh God, I hope it works. I can never understand those people.

My ice maker broke. On my very expensive, not even four years old refrigerator. The very nice Sears repair guy told me it was going to cost 500 dollars. I told him that was unacceptable. But you know me, I am addicted to my crushed ice and it had to be fixed. But then at the very last minute I thought that maybe we had in fact purchased an extended warranty and could he please check the system. Which he did and it did not make him happy since then he couldn't even charge me for the visit out. But then I told my husband that I had saved us 500 bucks, wasn't I so awesome? And that I totally needed to go shopping since I did such a good job.

And then the TV in our bedroom died. There was no extended warranty on that. In fact, I've had that TV longer than I've had Steven. But we had to go get a new one. Because we all know that I can not fall asleep without my ESPN News. Hey, luckily there was a President's Day Sale. Thank you Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Washington. For like the whole 20 bucks we saved. Oh maybe I should thank Mr. Jackson instead.

And now my washer is beeping. And showing some kind of funky code. And I'm kinda all out of money to fix anything else. I pushed something. It seems to be working. But let's all pray, just in case. Because what do you think is the number one necessity in a house with four daughters?

Well, besides wine.

Thankfully the corkscrew still works.

Living up to her name

So let me just recap the last few weeks around here in three words...insanity, medication and Princess.

Yes, Kathryn had strep and had to stay home and keep me on the run for a few days. Just in time to make sure that I was not at all well rested to endure a whirlwind trip to San Antonio chaperoning Alli's high school choir. They were selected to sing at TMEA which is a big convention for all the music teachers in Texas...really quite an honor. And during their concert they debuted a piece that was especially commissioned for them. Here...you can take a look/listen:





The composer actually flew in to hear the choir, the kids were so honored. And then, he went to eat at Hard Rock Cafe with us. And they just thought that was too cool. And Alli always has to get her pictures in with everyone. So here's Alli and Dan Forrest:

 who is much younger than I thought he would be. I mean really the image that comes to mind when you say the word "composer" is some old white haired raving genius with wads of crumpled paper all around his piano. It's nice to know that young, good looking men can achieve musical brilliance as well. And eat burgers and fries.

While chaperoning this event I was given a group of 11 girls. My job was to account for them at all stops on our trip. I was told I needed to keep the group together while we spent a few hours at the mall. I told them to disperse and meet me at Starbucks 15 minutes before we were to meet the rest of the choir and if they saw their teacher they were either to duck into the nearest store or tell her I was in the bathroom. Seriously, I try to take 4 girls to the mall on a regular basis and that's a disaster. No way was I gonna attempt that with 11.

I will not lie, it was a good group of girls. They even told me that I "was a really cool chaperone, really chill" and I told them I would continue to be so as long as they didn't do anything stupid. Which they didn't. None of my girls snuck out after taped into their rooms at 11pm curfew. And in the morning in the elevator down to the lobby, they all thought how much fun it would be to be a young mom like me and I immediately started into my speech of college, college, college and then you could think about marriage and motherhood and Alli rolled her eyes since she's been hearing this speech since in utero. But whatever, they all want to be in my group when we go to Disney.

So let me fast forward a bit here. Alli and I both obviously picked up the flu on the bus ride home. Which led to a very miserable week. Where I had little to no rest because moms don't get sick days. And then, still sick, the little ones had a swim meet all this weekend which I had signed up to volunteer a million hours so that the swim club would not cash my extortion check. And I made it a family affair, Steven was on setup, I made taco soup for a million people, served water and lemonade to officials and coaches and chopped up fruit in the hospitality room. The teens even had to work the concession stand. And after we busted our butts, we still might have about 10 more hours of slave labor volunteer work left to meet our obligation.

And so after a weekend of complete exhaustion, where one only wants to go to bed, one ends up taking a princess to the Urgent Care Center because she has twisted her knee in an attempt to avoid a spiky plant. Don't ask. All you need to know is that she sprained it really bad and it's very, very swollen and bruised. And that she is not a very good patient and I am not a very patient nurse. And she sucks on crutches. And she is a rule follower that let the school nurse know that she had Advil in her purse* in case she needed some during the day only to be told that I would have to come up to administer any medicine she might need. So no matter that she actually went back to school to have her friends wait on her hand and foot, I still get to plan my day around her as well. And all you need to do is pray that it heals up because I really, really don't want to have to go see an orthopedic. I've had enough of doctors these past few weeks...

And now that she has lost the use of one leg, she can't practice driving on this:

Yes. A car. A new car. For Princess. Who doesn't have a license. And won't til June. But my husband is some kind of wiz at Internet car shopping and worked a deal that we couldn't pass up and there you have it. And honestly we are all very excited about this. She works so hard, is a straight A student, we are very happy to be able to provide her with a vehicle. And while she might, and rightly so, think there will be a new amount of freedom to be had, there will also be more responsibility as well.

Because it's high time I live up to my title as Queen and have someone else run little ones to practice and pick up some milk and bread at the store.

*Do you think the potheads let the AP know they have weed in their lockers?

Love Bites

Last year, I let the brats guilt me into our traditional Valentines dinner at IHOP. No matter that I was feeling like crap. They didn't care and they forced me to take them to eat pancakes. This year...not so much.

Funny that I am sick...again...on this day. But it's not only me. Kat has strep and Alli has flu. And I perhaps have both. And so no bacon and eggs tonight. That's okay. I got cookies. My husband finally picked up on the fact that I really am not a flowers kind of girl. They die. So he set out a plate of heart shaped cookies for me, which he claimed to bake, along with a humorous card and that was that. I called him out though and said if he had baked those cookies then it was time to quit his day job and give Buddy some competition. He quickly confessed.

The girls got chocolate and he got M&Ms. And that is the extent of what we did on this ridiculous holiday. Oh wait...I drove thru Chick Fil-a AND McDonalds so that everyone could have their favorite fast food. Plus it's high time we got some preservatives back in our systems to combat all this illness.

What I'll do for love...

Laughter...not always the best medicine

Kathryn was obviously absent that day when they explain to young children, that when you get sick, you need to lounge around, sleep and do nothing. Not climb chandeliers, curtains and bookcases. Not force your mother to do monstrous amounts of crafts and play endless hours on the Wii. Not keep her running all day and exhausting her to no end, only to climb in her bed at 5am and declare that you want breakfast.

She had everyone in the doctor's office in stitches. Laughing and cracking jokes and just her all around cuteness magnified times a billion all while running a 103.3 fever. While the majority of the human race (and most definitely her parents and sisters) would feel like they were on their deathbed, not Kat. She was continually jumping on and off the examining table and playing catch with the nurse (not sure how her teddy bear felt about being the object tossed about).

Obviously the doctor could see I was kinda done with it. Especially when I requested she prescribe a sleeping pill to go along with the amoxicillin. It was a negative. Apparently she is a very responsible physician. Well except that when Kat requested that we go to a local bakery for lunch and I told her no way, we were going home because it would not be right of us to spread her sick germs around to everyone and then the doctor whispered to me Why not, everyone else does it and then I had her all figured out.

She wanted us to go out and share strep and make sure that her family vacation to Disney this summer is the most fabulous one that money can buy.

Well no go...it's tough enough getting an appointment as it is.

Ten on Tuesday

Ten Reasons Having a Sick Kid Sucks

1. You have to cancel lunch dates.

2. You have to go to Walgreens because you are either out of fever reducer or what you have expired in 2009.

3. You are forced to watch hours of Power Puff Girls, Scooby Doo and Dexter's Labratory. Who told the kids about Cartoon Network?

4. You have to postpone errands that absolutely had to get done TODAY.

5. You can't nap alone.

6. You have to fork over the ice cream you are eating since you very well can't share it with someone running a 103.3 fever...nor can you tell them no.

7. You have to search high and low for a teddy bear that hasn't been in sight since 2007 because that's the only one that will make her feel better.

8. You have to reschedule your Mac Training appointment...once again...insuring the fact that you really will never know how to use this dang computer.

9. You have to live in constant fear that she will at one point throw up. And vomit is in the top three things you are terrified of, along with needles and cockroaches.

10. You have to do it all again tomorrow due to the school's 24 hour fever free policy. Like that matters. Where do you think she got sick at?

sNOw day

My poor kids.

I've been watching them for the past hour or so, running aimlessly around the cul de sac, stopping every so often to look longingly at the sky, for absolutely nothing to fall from it.

They couldn't even take advantage of the fact that school was cancelled and say, sleep in. Because they had to wake up bright and early to rush to the window to see the ground covered with...dead grass.

The trampoline covered in ice. That was the highlight. And they've had a few cups of hot chocolate. And now they're bored. Already. Maybe it's a good thing we didn't get any bit of that blizzard. Could you imagine if we had to be housebound for more than an hour a day?

Bright side of it all is I now know what I want to be when I grow up. A weatherman. Apparently all you need for that job is to not know what you're talking about and to disappoint children.

I think I'm highly qualified.

It's Not Nice to Stare

I am not sad to say, that this t-shirt is most likely the last 100th day of school project ever. Seems once they hit second grade, fun is out the window. So maybe I can finally toss that glue gun... And while most of the sweet little girls were decked out in t-shirts with jewels and pom pom balls, my girl likes to do things a little differently. She likes googly eyes and Star Wars, that's why all the boys want to play with HER. And she's cute ;-)

So I missed this week's ten list because I was quite busy with other things. So I will give you some other numbers in case you were really distraught. Which I know you weren't.

5- times the dog vomited before 8:30am

2- times I vomited while cleaning it up

1- vet that asked me to bring her in for a day of observation only to give her an anti-vomiting injection so yes of course she didn't throw up while she was there

206- dollars that damn dog cost me, to have nothing wrong with her

2- dogs snoring at

6:45- this morning which left

15- minutes for the tooth fairy to get her job done

5- dollars left under a pillow because that's all she could find, plus the tooth was pulled and it was silver

19- degrees when we woke up this morning

37- minutes spent searching for cold weather gear

4- daughters that are hoping for snow and school closures, how quickly they forget what "snow" means
in Houston

1- mom who hopes otherwise, I enjoy lounging in pjs and doing nothing...all by myself

Proof that she listens

While at lunch today, the girls played their favorite game of let me tell you why you're not my favorite sister. Oh this is great fun. Basically they pick each other apart and air out their feelings and while at the time it is a hormonal disaster, in the long run, I think it rather works out for the best.

Abby was being snotty to Alli and Alli was telling her all about it. Abby went on to defend herself by letting Alli know that she's been making her mad all week long. I interject by letting them both know that they both have been at fault and somehow manage to back them both up at the same time as well. It's a gift I possess...none of my girls will ever know whose side I'm really on. This insures that they all buy me kickass Christmas presents when they grow up.

So I tell Abby that she has no right to be that way to Alli no matter how mad she makes her. And to wipe the smirk off of Alli's face, I tell her that she needs to remember she's not better than everyone else and stop acting so high and mighty. And then Kathryn tears herself away from her current Ipod addiction, Robot Unicorn Attack, and pipes in, "Yeah, Alli, you're not exactly humble." Big word for the 6 year old and used correctly in context and just so happened to be today's Sunday school lesson.

Score! She listens...in church. To me, not so much. The books in her room are still on the floor in front of the bookcase as opposed to on the shelves. Her pajamas from this morning are still on the coffee table. And the dog she was told to let in is still currently barking at the back door.

But hey, at least now I know she's capable.

Ten on Tuesday

It's no secret that I love to read. And when I absolutely fall in love with a book, I want nothing more than to see it on the big screen. I want to see if others imagine it the way I do. Or I just need to see it because it totally confused the heck out of me ;-) So my list of books that I want to enjoy with popcorn and Milk Duds. Normally I would provide linky love so you could check them out yourself but I still haven't figured out how to cut and paste with the Mac. I'm sure you are all proficient with Google though. Oh and I'd love if you'd let me know what you'd like to see coming soon to a theater near you!


Ten Books I Would Love to See as Movies

1. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

2. Wicked by Gregory Maguire

3. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

4. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

5. The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

6. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

7. The rest of the Percy Jackson books

8. One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus

9. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

10. The Time Traveller's Wife* by Audrey Niffenegger

I'll throw you some bonuses here, books that would be on this list but are already in production or promised to be, yahoo!! And they are:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

*I refuse to count that crap they put out a few years ago as a movie...for that matter I should probably add The Other Boleyn Girl to the list too.

The Tooth Hurts

So Emma has had a toothache all weekend long. And all weekend long we have been at a swim meet at LSU. So all weekend long, I've been drowning her in Children's Tylenol. And first thing Monday morning I got her into the dentist to see what is going on. An infection, that's what. In her silver tooth, which after a week of antibiotics is going to have to be extracted. Oh joy.


"Mom, since it's a special silver tooth...do I get more money from the tooth fairy?"


"No dear, the tooth fairy gives the dentist extra money since he gets to pull it out."


"Well, that's not fair."



Yeah, I know.


Of course, it only really hurts when it's convenient. For her. Like when she came home from school and she was just lounging on the couch, watching TV and playing on her Ipod, everything is great. But the second I turned off the idiot box and told her it was time for homework, suddenly tears are streaming and the pain is unbearable.

And even more so when it came to spelling. Last week she got a very not so great grade on her test. Which was my fault. Because I didn't study with her. Because she didn't remind me that she had a test. Because I was caught up in the 10th grader's passport project. And the 8th grader's upcoming cotillion dance. And honestly I can't keep straight who has what on which day. That's where responsibility comes in. You tell me when your test is and I will help you study.

And so this week I told her we would study spelling words every night. And not just over breakfast the morning of her test like we usually do. But like I said...unbearable pain. She couldn't function, it's too hard, just wanted to go to bed, etc. However it is even more important that we work on her words this week since I've exposed her all weekend long to these door signs:

And her words do all start with the letter "G" this week.

Emma isn't the only one with massive tooth problems around here. Her father, whom I've been harping on to go to the dentist for 9 years, yes you read that right, 9 years, lost half a tooth while eating a fajita the other day.


"Maybe I should go to the dentist."


"Umm, you think?"

So he went. And let me tell you that we could feed a small country in Africa for the amount of money it's going to take to fix that man's mouth. I did not say I told you so. I'm still steamed that I'll be living on Ramen Noodles and clipping coupons for the rest of the year.

But once again this is somehow my fault. Because I never made him an appointment. I just reminded him every six months when I was going and handed him the dentist's phone number so he could call since he knew his schedule and they knew theirs and I knew neither so why should I even get involved. I did what I could. Anyway, he went. And now he swears he's setting up his physical...soon.

I'll hold my breath.

Oh and he can't spell either.

Burnin' Up

When one has a fever, it is very hard for one to be productive. Especially one who is already admittedly pretty lazy. But since one had made a solemn vow to herself to do something that mattered everyday...one had to come up with something to do from the comfort of her bed.

And that very productive task was deleting over 3,000 emails. I think I would have rather scrubbed the toilets.

And speaking of burning up...the other day we tried the new hibachi restaurant that opened up near our house. It's pretty much like the old hibachi restaurant that's near our house except the food's not as good. Well, I heard from the Mr. that the sushi was delish, I'll take his word for it, I prefer my fish cooked.

But much like every hibachi restaurant in town, fire is the main attraction. And so this always happens...

I guess I don't have to worry about her ever playing with matches.

Good. I already feel like I'm on fire...and if she tried to burn down the house, well I'd have to leave my bed.

I also know that I don't have to worry about her running off with a mysterious man with a foreign accent. Our chef was quite taken with little Kat and kept making jokes and smiling at her. And finally she told him "I don't understand anything you are saying...and I think you're weird."

Maybe that's why the food wasn't so good...

Ten on Tuesday*

I know I shouldn't complain. I mean I check my Ipod every morning to see what the temps are throughout the country where all my various relatives live. Maiden Rock, Wisconsin will experience a low of -11 degrees this week. But that's why I don't live there. I like the sun and the warmth. And so while the rest of the country might scoff at what we Houstonians call winter...it's all relative...and it stills sucks to us.

Reasons I Really Hate Winter

1. Comfort food makes me fat.

2. I can't get a pedicure every other week.

3. My daughter wants tomato soup in her lunchbox...I detest the smell of tomato soup.

4. Laundry takes that much longer since I have to untangle sleeves and pant legs.

5. I forget what the sun looks like.

6. My husband wants to cuddle more than usual. (maybe that's not so bad)

7. We can't ever get the good white fluffy stuff...it's all a miserable wet mess.

8. Most of my TV shows are all reruns.

9. Even though we own a thousand hoodies, we can never seem to find a jacket when it's time to leave for school.

10. I have to take out a loan at Starbucks.

*I'm renaming the segment. It's not always a top ten, sometimes it's just a random mess of mumbo jumbo...like today.

Top Ten Tuesday

Disclaimer: This post was originally going to be published on Tuesday, it was all ready to go. And then Blogger decided to do really stupid things with the layout and text size and such and it was a reminder of one of the reasons I had stepped away from blogging. In fact it's still not publishing the way I want it to. But I took a deep breath, tried to fix it as best I could, still not understanding why things line up while I'm editing but not on the blog but whatever. So here it is, not how I wanted, but voila! See, I'm trying...

I really doubt that this will be a regular occurrence here as I'm still not sure that I will be a regular occurrence here. But just in case, it gives me an idea to do on Tuesdays, right? And since I am really, really good at making lists...maybe I can share some here. I will tell you, however, I am not so good at the crossing things off the list. But here goes my first attempt. It's a new year, so this list will be all about...

The Top Ten Things I Want in 2011

(in no particular order)

1. to get back on track with some sort of exercise program or physical activity.

I've already kinda addressed this one. But I think it's crucial to do something, anything. So me and my new best friend the Wii have been having some fun. We have a few "active" games and I've been playing them while the girls are at school. I've also been playing Sonic

the Hedgehog which burns absolutely no calories whatsoever but you know I do like to

reward myself and better that than ice cream.

2. to get new couches.

Oh this isn't a list just about resolutions and me bettering my life. It's about things that I

want as well. And couches is high, high up on the list. The current ones have experienced

their fair share of spit up, apple juice and Cheetos finger stains. Plus have endured hours

being mistaken for a trampoline. And I don't slipcover...

3. to have more quality family time.

I am finding it more and more important to actually spend time with the family. I mean one of them will be leaving the nest in two years. With the four girls in different activities on every night of the week you can imagine it's hard for us to sit down for a meal together. But that is the thing that I have found is the easiest way for all of us to connect and share our

lives. So I am learning that I have to modify the schedule a bit. That being said...dinner tonight will be at 4:30pm between choir rehearsals, a riding lesson and basketball practice.

4. to take pictures again.

I am become really lazy on this one. I was very excited to get my camera a few years back

and quickly became unexcited when I saw how much better my friends were at snapping

shots and photoshopping. I have come to accept the fact that I am not, and never will be,

a professional photographer, not that I ever aspired to be one. I'm not creative enough nor smart enough to deal with the technology it requires. However, there seem to be quite a few

simple quick fixes on my new Macbook that will make my pictures look loads better. I just

have to figure out how to use them...

5. to organize our photos.

So after taking pictures, I should really do something with them. I thought, once upon a time, that I would scrapbook. I got the tools, loads and loads of paper and more stickers than I know what to do with. And so they sit in a corner, neglected and gathering dust until

a daughter needs to make a project pretty. And also neglected and gathering dust are about

15 years of our lives in shoeboxes. So it's time to get on that one. Before I really forget which

baby is who. But I'm still trying to decide if I want to go the classic photo album route or do

it all in Shutterfly albums. Regardless, maybe I can get at least one year done.

6. to get three stars on all levels of Angry Birds.

I don't think this really needs much of an explanation. I'm addicted and I need help. But

I want to be the best. Without the YouTube tutorials and the Mighty Eagle though. I'll see how far I am in December before I enlist the cheats.

7. to host a Just Dance tournament.

This is happening soon. This may be the only thing on this list I actually achieve. I threw

myself a birthday party this past weekend and at some point after fajitas, during margaritas

and before tres leches cake, I said let's play. And it was fun. And I won't post incriminating

video of some of the menfolk doing "Step by Step" because they are not my men to

embarrass. But I have decided that there were too many people who did not participate. So

I'm making it a competition, with cash prizes. And I'm making a bracket board. Seriously,

you are going to want to come. And lose to me. Did you read number 1? ;-) *

8. for Water for Elephants not to suck.

It's one of my favorite books. And I just can't handle another major let down after the

cinematic garbage known as The Time Traveller's Wife.

9. to organize the house.

I've lived here 4 1/2 years. I still have boxes unpacked. There are too many people with too

much stuff and I think that maybe, finally, it's really starting to irritate me. So I've already

started on the study. That's the other thing, I tend to get very overwhelmed when I start

thinking about all I need to do so I don't do it. Or I have multiple projects going on at once

which means none of them get the proper time or effort. So one room at a time. And I've

enlisted the girls to take care of laundry and dishes during this time so that I really don't

get sidetracked. And so the study, so far, is looking good. And I'll get right back to it after

this post is done, I run to the grocery store and watch last night's Castle.

10. to blog.

I've already discussed this. January, so far, so good. But I do know if I blog nothing else this

year I will do my pictorials on the four ballparks I've visited the past two summers. Not that

any of you really look forward to those posts, but I enjoy them and I refuse to take them off

the list of unvisited parks until they have been documented. And I also, sometime this year,

will blog the birth of my fourth daughter. That one, you'll want to read.

Hmm, I have a few other things I'd like to accomplish this year as well. But it's a list of ten so, there you go. Hopefully come the end of 2011, these items won't be on the Top Ten of what I did not achieve.

Stay tuned...

*practicing Just Dance really gives me no advantage whatsoever. Because I don't care how many times I try...there are moves on Ring my Bell that this body is never ever going to be able to do.

My lips are sealed

Sometimes there are stories that I would love to tell here that I really can't. Because they would just cause all sorts of embarrassment to my children.

Like the other day when we were at the mall and I was helping the big girls pick out intimate apparel at one of those stores and Steven was sitting outside the store on a bench with the little girls who he would send in periodically with messages like "I'm hungry" and "hurry up" and "how much longer?".

And then I yelled from the back of the store "If you don't feel I'm moving fast enough, feel free to come in here yourself and help them buy bras and panties". Much to the horror of him and Alli and Abby and the salesclerk. But the other mom in the store...she thought it was funny.

But even that story isn't as embarrassing as...

Wait, I've said too much already. After all, they will be picking my nursing home one day.