Vouch

As a Member of the Bad Example Family....


I am vouching for this Mother....

Why?

Her blog is snazzier than mine, she has children and has proved Motherhood is survivable, and she is cute too....

Valentine Gifts for Her suggestion #1

What lady does not like jewelry?

Depending on your income, this can be a hard one to swing...


For those of you that like the idea of jewelry, but have financial limitations I think these are great ideas...


Jules

K. Robbins designs-

Donna Silvestri

Linda Clifford

Sharma Designs

Hop, Skip and a Jump

I was just enjoying Dash turning 4. I was really enjoying him.

He is my snuggle bunny, and can carry a conversation now. Even if the conversation is weird. We can sit and talk. He can express himself now. This is HUGE for me. Dash has had a few issues, he seems to have sensory intergration issues.

However, about 3 months ago we started noticing that he does not "walk" any longer. It started with the occasional hop, or jump. He has entered some sort of energy surge, that I am guessing is common. I was not prepared for it. Dash was my "book worm", the child with the 2 hour long attention span. He no longer sits. If he is reading a book, I will find him sitting on his head, 1 minute later he will be reading and balancing on one leg and one arm, a minute later he is upside down. It has started driving me nuts, because I guess I am the one with sensory issues. He has overloaded my visual circuits.

The other night I said to Dear Husband, "watch us try and walk across the living room". (My living room is small). I told Dash I wanted him to hold my hand and walk 10 steps with me. Do you know the kid couldn't take 2 steps without hopping or kicking or going backwards, or shaking his behind? It was insane to me.

I have been trying to work this out with him. I know how it is to have excess energy physical, emotionally, or mentally. I know energy has leave the body, otherwise it will effect ones chi. So I have been running him, making sure his physical energy is spent. We have been out of doors kicking the soccer ball around, racing, chasing, climbing. I will add here, it is hard to spend it all. We always come in the house with extra.

Soccer and swimming will not start for a few months, does anyone know where I can get a treadmill for a toddler? Maybe a hamster wheel that could be intergrated into the towns power grid. I think he could provide enough energy to run at least my wash machine, dishwasher, and maybe even a lamp.

Stick to T & A

I am a sucker for boots, ya'awl know I am. So I see this add, for a boot sale at Victorias Secret. Of course I click and click, and click. Imagine the horror when this is the sort of boot they are selling!!
I still am sick from the experience. Sick I tell you. So Please Victorias Secret, stop selling boots. Stop now.

Stick to bras and panties, and ecoutrements....PLEASE.

If I were Emma Peel....

I would be getting ready to register for The Mil-Blogging Conference in Washington D.C.

Mil-Blogging Conference!!

Mrs. Hell on Heels has done it!! She has managed to organize The First Official Mil-Blogging conference.


I am dying to go, I really am.

Take a look at the list of Panelists!!

Master of Ceremonies:
Austin Bay


Panel #1 - Milblogs: Past, Present and Future
Moderator:
Buzz Patterson
Lieutenant Colonel, USAF (Ret)


Panelists:
CJ from A Soldier’s Perspective
Matt from Blackfive
JP from Milblogging.com
John from The Officers’ Club






Panel #2 - Milblogging Family Style
Moderator:
Andi from Andi's World
Panelists:
Carla from Some Soldier's Mom
Carren From My Position
Chuck From My Position


Panel #3 - Blogging From Theater
Panelists:
Bill Roggio from ThreatsWatch
Jeff from Dadmanly



Official Conference Bloggers:
Kit and Heidi from Euphoric Reality
Lynn from GunnNutt
La Shawn from La Shawn Barber's Corner
Holly from Soldiers’ Angels – Holly Aho
Lisa and Chris from Two Babes and a Brain

Void

Always good for a laugh

I need this shirt, and think I found Christmas presents.

No Girls Allowed!!

-The following was found scribbled on a magna doodle-



I am sick of Dora.

I am sick of Pink.

I am sick of my Thomas the Tank projects being demolished by my sister.

I NEVER, nor have the desire to touch her baby dolls, or anything pink.

Never, ever let your baby Sister talk you into letting her in your room especially when you spent 2 hours building a fishing dock, for the pond at Island of Sodor. I have been contracted by Sir Topham hat to complete several city expansion projects. It is serious work.

So in order to protect my rights, I am writing this decree....

No Girls Allowed

~Dash~

Chances of Snow?

Ick Ick Ick. That is what the weather man is saying. Chance of snow.

I did manage to get "The Collective" out of doors yesterday. We played a short game of soccer, and than they got into the mud. I went ahead and let them. They were making mud cakes, pies, and other baked goods. 3:00pm was bath time, by necessity.

Today snow? I am unsure what we will do.

Play-doh cookies?

Indoor bowling?

Camping?

I have chores I need to be doing, bedding to wash, and a Sunday paper with my name on it.

I am sleepy today. I do not want to leave Casa De Snot.

It is a great day to curl up with a book, under a blanket.

What are you doing today?

If I were Emma Peel....

I would be cooking a delicious lunch instead of dressing "the collective" for the third time this morning.

Fight Club

"The first rule is not to lose. The second rule is not to forget the first rule."
-Warren Buffett

Looks like Mr. Blackfive has fight club over at CNN. .

"On The Story" will air 7-8pm ET.

Appears Mr. Blackfive had plenty of assistance getting ready. Although the photos I have seen offer very conflicting information.

Wish him well, and remember no shoes at fight club.

Weather Wussifacation

The weather man tells me 51 degrees today. Brrr.... I spoke with my Sister in Nebraska this morning, and she told me it was 16 degrees, with wind. Which leaves the folks back home, feeling like it is 2 degrees. ICk... I do not miss freezing my ass off all winter. I miss wearing my wool coat, cashmere scarf, and leather gloves with fur at the cuffs (very Emma Peel). 2 degrees though, that is weather to die in. I do not miss scraping windshields, and that pain you get in your skull from inhaling such cold air. I do not miss the cold weather echoes you hear on the plains.


My blood has been thinning, and the gradual process of becoming a "cold weather wuss", is almost complete. I will never be able to return to the Midwest with my head held high. In fact, I will never be able to return to the Midwest in winter again. A Midwestern winter may kill me.

When I was a child and we were thrown out of the house on a Saturday to mountains of snow, I do not remember feeling cold ever. I remember when gloves and mittens were simply impediments to fort building, snowball making. Whenever, the neighborhood kids got together, the mittens made from yarn, ended up in a wet frozen pile. Mothers from down the street would pop they're heads out of front doors with frozen white puffs following the screamed phrase "GET YOUR MITTENS ON", about every 30 minutes.

I do not recall being cold once as a child.

I sit here in my warm kitchen, drinking hot coffee, in pajamas and a robe, and slippers and am cold just thinking about it.

I need to get these kids out of the house today, but a high of 51? Brrrr.....tooooo cold.

My folks back home are hanging they're heads in shame.

Skankin it Slow

So I am trying to ween myself from my like 9 days of soul music, and I am having a hard tme doing it.

The natural transition I have no idea....

I think I found the ticket HERE!! 100 RECORDS does it again.....

Now for some skankin''

Huh?



1) To dance to a reggae or ska beat. Usually consists of nodding, swinging your arms at a 90° angle or so, and kicking around your feet. Can be done alone, but is more fun in groups.

2) One who does not exhibit desirable forms of personal hygiene.


3) Paris Hilton AKA Tara Reid: redefining skank.

S.O.S.

Keep My Soldier Safe, sends out an S.O.S., one of our brave men needs help."This soldier has a temporary disability (40% and the Army will re-evaluate in November of 2006) from the Army and is struggling to make ends meet on a very small amount of money each month."


Go over, and e-mail the information to everyone you know. Please.

Soldier's Angels information as always

Soldiers' Angels
Humpreys Family Assistance
1792 East Washington Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91104

Casa De Snot

It appears that "Casa De Dust" is under new management this week, and should be called "Casa De Snot".

Yes, I said it snot. Sneezing, running noses, snot on my shirts, and coughing in my face. A kleenex box on every table. Saline nasal drops in every cupboard. Dear Husband replacing "old vaporizer", me filling new ones. Dash and Pink Ninja smell like Vicks vapo-rub. Sick. Yuck. Now where did I leave the lysol?

I am beginning to feel the beginnings of this. Despite my attempts to drown cold virus out with vitamins, and Airborne.

Today is the kind of day, where we will stay in our jammies. There are a million things I should be doing, but I think I will call one of those "bathroom monkeys", and leave the cleaning to them.



-Today's AWTM, brought to you by

Kleenex
Airborne
Lysol
Vicks Vapo Rub
Bathroom Monkey Cleaning Co.

Bathroom humor

Do you need to laugh this morning?

I would suggest going over to Air Force Family.

Or try going to The Reality Ranch, read it, and welcome my newest blog-sister to the sphere while you are there.

"I want you to want me"

I am taking a break from "soul" today.....I have been saturating myself in it. Turned the radio to "classic rock".

I hear Robin Zander's voice.

I am transported.

I am 8 or 9 years old, and I am at "Alco". I have 5$ birthday money and I buy my first album.

Shell Game

I run across the street to visit Tammi. I understand this, although on a different level than Tammi. I used to be able to eat my weight in lard, and not have it matter. I was the tall skinny girl, by chance and not effort. This is probably a good thing looking back, because I could have easily had an eating disorder, if not for my high metabolism. When I graduated high school I was 5 7' and 98 pounds, and thought I was "a big girl"....(If you go back into my archives, there are a million self deprecating posts on my own body issues, ok maybe not a million---close). However it all changed once I got pregnant and older. I am curvier now, "curvier". It is a daily struggle for me to look in the mirror, or pictures. The food is a struggle, I am from very Hearty European stock (sausage makers by trade). Plus I love food, I love cooking for people, and hearing the gratifying "ummmmmmmm" from a chewing mouth. It too pleases my ear.

So I sit here and try and think of ONE, just ONE woman I know who is happy with her body. I have known a lot of beautiful women. I cannot think of ONE single woman I know who is completely "happy" with her shell.

If I find her, I want her secret, because I want my daughter to be that ONE woman.

Obsessions, Dysmorphia, Pleasure, .......A delicate balance for most of us.

-So I am reading Tammi, and I look down at my yoga book. My instructor has hand written at the top of the page

"Yoga allows me to keep my body as such that it will not become a distraction"

The yoga has helped, I do not look svelt, or like I did 10 years ago. I am far from my old 98 pounds. However, I am so much stronger. My body is stronger, I can breathe, I can use my breath to hold poses for a great length of time. I am proud of myself, and my progress, my body.

Guess What I am Watching?

Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Diana Rigg, AKA Emma Peel becomes the ultimate "Bond Girl" by marrying Bond.

Wanna Take This Outside?

Perusing this morning, and I read this. I feel like I can take a deep breath now, because someone said it. Chuck also said it much more eloquently than I could have.

Mr Blackfive, has said it before.

When will they get it?

I am reminded once again, that we need to remember those doing our fighting for us.

I think The ARMOR UP project is the way to do that this week.

I am going to ask you do something extra though. The blogosphere is really only sooo big, and although I think the blogosphere is filled with some of the most generous people on the planet, the pockets are only so deep. I think it would be a great idea to print off the ARMOR UP information. Take it to the streets folks. The bulletin board at the community center, library, grocery store are great places to remind your community that our men and women should not be forgotten.