Random Thoughts Tuesday! Again!

Tuesday! Tuesday! Tuesday! My brain is full and needs to be purged.

*I'm flying to the States in 6 days. I haven't even thought about packing. I don't care.

*When we went to France the other day, I was doing 120/mph (you read that right) and got PASSED. Many times. Crazy German driver, how I love you!

*My house is a mess. I don't care.

*I'm trying (really hard) to take an interest in the whole Supreme Court nominations thing, but I just can't. Say it with me: I don't care!

*My dogs are freaking insane. Arf, the little one who's name should really be Napoleon, because he's small, but has BIG plans, is barking at the TV. Animals on TV drive him crazy. If he sees an animal (especially a horse) on TV, he goes into some sort of anger trance, charges the TV (not that he can reach it, he's about 8 inches tall), barking and growling, chases his tail a few times, then looks back up at the TV to see if the animals are still there, then starts the whole thing over again. This goes on as long as there's an animal on TV. This actually affects our viewing choices. We never watch anything staring an animal unless we put him in his crate first and if we're flipping through the channels and come across an animal on the screen, we turn it as quickly as possible. Stupid dog. Good thing he's cute.

*Obama needs some Botox between his eyes. That little 'V' thing is really deep. He should get that taken care of. I'm just sayin.

*Oh, speaking of V, does anyone remember that show? OMG, it scared the beejeebers out of me. The baby with the forked tongue scarred me for life. What were my parents thinking letting me watch that? I was 11. Sheesh.

*I can't find the pedal to my sewing machine. Why wouldn't the packers pack them together?

*I wish I had an ugly brick fireplace so I could paint it. It looks so cool on TV, I'm just itching to try it. Isn't that an odd thing to think about?

*I want a pink hammer.

*I'm so sick of make over shows talking about how green something is every 5 minutes. Good grief! Put a disclaimer at the front of the show: ALL PRODUCTS USED ON TODAY'S SHOW ARE GREEN. EVEN THE ELECTRICITY USED DURING FILIMINGWAS MADE BY MAKING THE PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS RUN ON A GIANT TREADMILL BECAUSE WE CARE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT AND ARE BETTER THAN YOU, YOU TV WATCHING SLACKER WHO DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO DECORATE.

*I finally saw Slumdog Millionaire last night. It was fantastic! If you haven't seen it, it's not just hype. It's a really well acted, well filmed movie that has a great story. Oh, and you must watch the end credits. "Who want to be a mill-on-air?"

*I now have a totally inappropriate crush on Dev Patel. He was born while I was a junior in HS. OMG, I'm almost a Mrs. Robinson.

* I love the word cupola.

Now, rush over to The Un Mom and read all the other randomness.

Memorial Day 2009

Today we took a trip to the Lorraine American Military Cemetery in St. Avold, France for the Memorial Day ceremony.  It is the largest WWII American Cemetery in Europe. It was almost overwhelming.

The surrounding area is quiet and peaceful and the entrance to the cemetery is green and beautiful.  You have to walk up a hill to get to the actually cemetery.  At the top of it is the memorial chapel.  This is it from the front, but you approach from the back. 

Just as you crest the rise, the cemetery itself comes into view.  The sheer number of crosses is astounding.

 

The cemetery is 113 acres and is the resting place of over 10,500 US soldiers.

  

   

   

The US Girl Scouts in Germany teamed up with the French Scouts (co-ed) to place flags on each grave.  That’s more than 21,000 flags.  They also carried in each of the wreaths that were laid by various people with a connection to the cemetery. 

The gentleman standing to the far right of this photo is a WWII vet who fought in France.

 

Past and present military were present, as were French military.

It was a solemn day that will be with us for years to come.  As you spend your Memorial Day with friends and family at barbeques or picnics celebrating the beginning of summer, please take a moment to think about all those who serve today, those who served and fought in the past, and especially those who never made it home.

Friday Funnies

I don’t have much going on right now, but I’ve been writing down silly conversations we’ve had with Indy over the past couple of months and I thought I’d share them with you. If you knew Indy in real life (and some of you do) you’d know he really does talk this way. I swear sometimes I feel like I’m living with Benjamin Button. A little old man in a kid’s body. So, here are your Friday Funnies, courtesy of Indy.

A few weeks ago we were going to a friend’s birthday party and were sitting at a stoplight. Indy was being unusually quiet (always suspicious) when out of the blue:

Indy: So, Mom, when Dad put me in you, did he give you sleeping pills to knock you out first?

****crickets****

Me (after sputtering and trying not to look at M for fear of cracking up): Where did you hear that?

Indy: I didn’t hear it, I just figured that’s how it must happen.

M (to me): Do you think it’s time for the talk?

Indy: Not until I’m 10 Dad! I’m too young for the talk, but I thought I’d just try to figure it out myself.

Me: Please don’t tell anyone else you’re theories, okay?

Indy: Oh, I won’t. Other kids need to figure out for themselves that they’re dad gave their mom sleeping pills to put the baby in their tummy.

Me: That’s not how it happens.

Indy: So, no sleeping pills?

Me: No.

Indy: So Dad, how did you knock her out? You didn’t hit her did you?

M: Of course I didn’t hit her!

Indy: So how did you make her go to sleep?

M: I didn’t.

Indy: So, no sleeping?

Me: No. No sleeping.

Indy: You were awake when he put me in you?

Me: Yes.

Indy: Wow. Did it hurt?

M and I are trying really hard not to laugh, but not doing a very good job.

Me: No, it didn’t hurt.

Indy: Interesting. I’m going to have to think about this some more then.

Me: We’ll talk about it another time, but until then, you keep this to yourself. Okay?

Indy: Yeah, yeah. To myself. But Dad, don’t you try to give me the talk. I won’t be ready until I’m 10.

M: Okay. When you’re 10.

Indy: That’s right. But I’m going to think on it until then. I’m not going to say anything though. Just think about it.

Me: Okay, that’s a good idea.

Indy: One question. Does it have anything to do with dancing? Because if it does, I’m not dancing with anyone until I’m like a grown up.

M: No, it' doesn’t have anything to do with dancing.

Indy: Good, cause I like to dance. Are we almost at the party? I could really use some cake.

*******************************************************************

Last week he was watching The Wizard of Oz in German (at his German class) and I came in to pick him up.

Indy: Hey, Mom! It’s that movie where the girl and her friends get to kill all those witches and her henchmen and they don’t get in trouble.

Me: What?

Indy: You know, that girl, Dorothy and her friends. They drop the house on the witch and melt the other one, and kill those henchmen guards and they totally get away with it. I can’t believe it. They should really go to jail.

*******************************************************************

Indy: Hey mom.

Me: Yes?

Indy: Do you think I might be a genius?

Me: I don’t know, but it’s possible.

Indy: I think I might be.

Me: Really? Why do you think that?

Indy: Well, I’m pretty smart and I can do math in my head, plus I’m really handsome, so I think I might be a genius.

Me: You could be right.

Indy: Yeah, you’re so lucky to get me as your kid.

Me: I sure am.

*******************************************************************

Indy split his chin open the other night by falling out of the bed, trying to “rescue” Teddy who had fallen in the middle of the night.

Me: What were you doing?

Indy: Well, Teddy fell out of the bed and I had to rescue him.

Me: He fell? You don’t think he jumped?

Indy: No, I don’t think he jumped. He just fell. It was an accident.

Me: Are you sure? You don’t think maybe Skokie (another teddy bear) pushed him?

Indy: No way! Skokie would never do that! They love each other.

Me: Well, that’s a relief.

Indy: They don’t love each other like boyfriend and girlfriend though, because they’re both boys and I don’t know how that would work. I don’t think either of them wants to be a girl. They just love each other like BFF’s.

*******************************************************************

This morning I was making breakfast and Indy comes out dressed in his Harry Potter gear and offered to grant me some wishes.

Me: What should I wish for?

Indy (looking around): You should wish for some basil in the window.

Me: Okay, I wish for some basil in the window.

Indy (swishing his wand): Poof! Granted.

Me: Thanks, I really needed a basil plant.

Indy: I know. What else would you like?

Me: How about some peace and quiet?

Indy: I’m afraid that’s not in the wizard manual.

*********************************************************************

Get your act together and stop the schlump

Yesterday I had a doctor’s appointment (everything’s fine, don’t worry). I got up and put myself together. Nothing fancy, jeans, cute top (not trendy or expensive, just cute), with a scarf (it’s very European to wear a scarf all the time) and slipped on a pair of super cute high heeled slide sandals (seriously, they’re ridiculously cute). I did my hair and spent about 6 minutes slapping on some moisturizer, face powder, lipstick and mascara. I did not put a lot of effort into getting myself together, but I put some effort.

I sat in the waiting room and looked around at all the other people waiting I wondered why the lack of effort. I mean we were in a waiting room of the doctor’s office and it’s possible that some of these people were indeed sick (though no one really looked like swine flu sick or sick at all to be honest), but even sick, I can brush my hair and put on something other than grubby sweats, a holey t-shirt and flip flops.

I have to say it makes me sad that people (specifically women) take so little pride in themselves and their personal appearance. It doesn’t take much time, effort or even money to look good. Nice clothes can be found at yard sales, thrift stores and second hand shops for very little. Just washing your face, brushing your hair and putting on decent clothes goes a long way though. I just don’t understand why people don’t care about the way they look. I’m not saying I look I look great all the time (believe me, I don’t), but unless I’m half dead I make an effort.

Are you guilty of this? Do you just not care what you look like when you go out? I’m not saying looks are everything, and you should judge people by outward appearances (but let’s be honest here, we all do, even though we know we shouldn’t), but think about the image you put out there. Does it project who you are? Are you a schlump? Are you a woman who puts all her effort into everything but herself? Be proud of yourself! Even if you think you’re overweight or out of shape or you’re tired (believe me, I’m there every day) or you have a million other things to do, take a few minutes for yourself and make an effort. Not only will you look better, you’ll feel better.

And now I’m getting off my soapbox. On which I wore kick ass shoes.

EDIT: Let me climb back up on my box (not as easy as you'd think in these shoes). After reading the comments, I would like to clarify that I'm not saying you should wear makeup every day to look good. Some people are allergic, and while that makes me a little sad for you, it's completely understandable. If you don't wear makeup, that's okay. Even if you don't wear makeup though, you can brush your hair and wear clean, non grubby clothes. Looking decent doesn't mean looking like a fashion plate. It just means you take some pride in your personal appearance. Now, could someone please help me down?

Random Thoughts Tuesday!

RTT! RTT! RTT! I love it!

*Germans love to protest. I don’t know why, perhaps because they were oppressed for so long that they take great pride in the fact that they can actually protest? Whatever. They’re really good at it. Very organized, and usually very peaceful. After I dropped Indy off at his German lessons today I got trapped in protest traffic. The Polezei had stopped all the traffic to let the protesters pass. They were students protesting….something. I couldn’t read exactly what they were protesting (note to self: learn more German), but they were students (probably from the University) and there were hundreds of them. It was pretty impressive. I was still mad about getting stuck in the traffic though.

*I miss commercials! Can you believe it? Me neither, but there you have it. AFN does not air commercials, so they fill the time with stupid little military commercials. LAME.

*AFN used to be called Armed Forces Network, but after 50 years, they decided Armed was too aggressive, so it was changed to American Forces Network. This happened right around the time we invaded Iraq. Anyone like a big slice of irony?

*Give me a break, give me a break, break me off a piece of that KitKat bar.

*I wish That 70’s Show hadn’t gone off the air. I love that show.

*My little piggies need a pedicure.

*Sometimes I miss being a stupid teenager without a care in the world. Life was so simple then. And I never had acne, so that’s a bonus.

*My ringtone on M’s phone is “Brickhouse”

*Sometimes I get really irritated at the recommendations from Amazon. Just because I looked at Stargate Atlantis once (for M), does not mean I want to know about every Sci-Fi show ever made. Seriously.

*I’m really apathetic about the American Idol Finale. I’m sure Adam is going to win, and while I like him, he’s just too Broadway for me.

*Where's my flying car? Aren't we supposed to have flying cars and robots by now?

*My computer is hot on my lap. Maybe it’s a sign I should end this? Yeah, probably. So, go read the other randomness!

Good heavens! I forgot! Bloggy awards

Oh dear.  I’m a bad blogger.  Bad, bad, blogger.  I have gotten awards!  Several of them, and forgot to post.    Oh, bad, bad, Mom in High Heels!  I do not mean to be ungrateful, I swear to you I don’t, and I apologize from the bottom of my heart to the lovely bloggers who gave them to me. 

I’m sorry and embarrassed to say I can’t remember who gave me these (hiding my head in shame). 

I’m not feeling fabulous right now.  :(

Or excellent.

Or Kreative.  Maybe Kre8iv, but still a bad blogger.

 

Or even bubbly (though the little shoe is super cute).

But.  BUT!  I do know who gave me this award!  Pan x 8 over at The Insanities of a Stay-At-Home Mom (girl, do I feel you!).

I’d like to pass it on to the following blogs:

The Joys of Homeschooling

Riverside Scholars

Dance Shoes and Combat Boots

Serenity Now

 

Again, I so apologize to the bloggers who gave me the first awards posts.  I feel that, since I’m a bad blogger, I cannot pass them on, but I promise I do love them.  Thanks to you all.  And big fat bloggy kisses to each and every one of you.  Purely platonic of course.  ;)

Where are my Oprah diamonds?

When I lived in the States, I didn’t watch Oprah very often, but now that I’m reduced to 8 channels of…pretty much nothing, I find myself watching her show almost daily.  Sometimes I like the guests or topic, and sometimes, I don’t, but still, there’s little else on and laundry is boring, so I’ll watch.  Even before I became a daily watcher though, I was obsessed with her earrings.  I swear they are hypnotic and even if I’m not interested in he show, I find myself staring at her earrings.  Isn’t that funny?  I normally don’t even wear earrings myself, but I so want a pair of diamond earrings.  Not just any old 1/4 or 1/2 carat studs.  Not even 1 carat studs.  No, no.  I want Oprah diamonds.  What are Oprah diamonds, you ask?  Oprah diamonds are the kind that can blind you if he light hits them right.  They’re HUGE.  I so want them. 

  

 

See?  Gorgeous, aren’t they?  Yes, I know Oprah works hard for what she has and blah, blah, blah, and I applaud her efforts, but darn it, I want those earrings!   Look, even Oprah, can’t believe I don’t have some:

Actually, I couldn’t find a photo of my favorite pair (she has lots of diamond earrings).  They are similar to the ones shown above, but they are princess cut (square) with larger princess cut drops.  Man, I love those!  They have to be a least 3-5 carats (each).  I know coveting is wrong and one of the “deadly sins,” but I can’t help it, I covet those earrings.  Where are my Oprah diamonds????

Do you have an odd obsession with something a celebrity wears?  Am I just nuts?  Don’t answer that. 

Random Thoughts Tuesday: The one where I ask a bunch of dumb questions

 

 

Huzzah!  Tuesday!  You know how I love Tuesdays!  Let’s just make with the randomness shall we?

*Why ARE there so many songs about rainbows?  Really?  WHY?

*Because it has to be asked: what is on the other side?

*Why isn’t it easy being green?  I think Kermit should try being magenta or tangerine and see how difficult it is to blend.  I think he’d appreciate his green-ness.

*Why does Miss Piggy have a thing for Kermit?  Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Kermit fan, he’s the only Muppet with any sense, but really, a pig and a frog?  How would that even work?  Ewwww…now I’m picturing it and it is not cool.

*If Miss Piggy is sooooo hot for Kermit, why does she flirt with Matt Lauer every time she’s on Today?  Cause it ticks me off. 

*Why am I on a Muppet kick this morning? 

*Who did write the book of love? Cause I’d like to kick his @ss for making it so crazy.

*Did you know there was a talent show in China call the Mongolian Cow Sour Yoghurt Super Girl?  Yeah, me neither, but Oprah says so, so it must be true.  But why? 

*Why is it so hard to get out of bed in the mornings?

*How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll Center of a Tootsie Pop?  The owl totally bit.

*Why is it so easy to gain weight and yet so bloody hard to lose it? 

*Why are Sloppy Joe’s called that? 

*Why are there so many Star Trek movies? 

*More importantly, why do people feel the need to speak Klingon?  I mean I get that you like ST, but really?  Really?

*Why do my abs hurt sooooooo much after yoga? 

*Have you ever heard of naked yoga?  I saw a poster for it the other day and thought, why would anyone do that?  And then I thought, ewwww gross.

And so ends today’s randomness. 

Ta-da! Meta-ME!

Okay, so I can join in on meta Monday (cause I love ‘em), I’m revealing my personal meta.

This is me around Jan.

And this is me after my haircut!  Ta-da!    I chopped about 8” of hair off (it looks longer because of all the layering).  I’m still getting used to it, but I’m really liking how quickly I can do my hair in the mornings. 

 

Thanks for stopping by.  What do you think?  Am I crazy?

Lightening my load. Or What on earth have I done?

Do you ever feel all crazy inside?  No?  Just me?  Okay then.  Sometimes I just feel….like I need to do something.  I get in a frump and then feel I have to do something nuts to get myself out of it.  It usually works.  Now, don’t get me wrong here, I’m not getting things pierced or tattooed (I’m too much of a chicken for that-I wanted drugs the moment I found out I was pregnant, you know, just in case).  I prefer to go with something less permanent and painful. 

Today I had an appointment to get my eyebrows threaded.  Ever heard of that?  It originated in India and has been used in Europe and the Middle East for decades (probably longer).  My stylist is from Iran and said she learned to do it when she was about 12 (she now in her mid-50’s so she’s got some experience).  I was very apprehensive.   Waxing scares the beejeebers out of me and I really had no idea what I was in for.  She took a spool of cotton thread and first tied it around her neck (for tension) then had about 3 feet hanging off.  She folded it in half, twisted it up and ran it over my eyebrows.  I can’t say it didn’t hurt, because it did, but not nearly as much as I expected.  It took her less than 10 minutes to do both eyebrows and they look fantastic!  They’ve never looked that good with waxing and the best part was there was no redness or swelling!  Huzzah!  But this is not the craziness.

I sat in the chair and here’s our conversation:

Me: You know what?  I’m thinking about chopping off my hair.

Super Awesome Stylist (in her very odd accent that is a mixture of Iranian and German):  NO!  You have bea-utiful hair!  You can’t!

Me:  No, I’m really thinking about it.

SAS:  If I had hair like yours I’d never cut it.  Never, never, never.

Me:  You say that, but if you had to seal with it every day, you’d think differently.

SAS:  No, I would have a wonderful new style every day!

Me:  For about a week, and then you’d get tired of it and pull it into a ponytail and feel like a schlump.

SAS:  You might be right, but you cannot cut your hair!

Me:  Yeah, I can.  Or rather you can.  Do you have time?

SAS:  Right now?

Me:  Yeah, before I lose my nerve.

SAS:  Yes, but are you sure?

Me:  Yes, let’s do it.

SAS:  Sure?

Me:  Yes.

Then we flipped through some style books and decided what would look best on me.  She washed my hair, pulled it up in clips (you know, making me look super fancy), and got out the scissors.  She combed a section in the back and prepared to cut.

SAS:  Are you really sure?  I don’t want to cut and then have you change your mind.

Me:  It will grow back.

SAS:  Okay.  Here goes.

I almost fainted when I felt the cut and let out a squeal when I saw the 8 inch hunk of my hair lying on the ground.  OMG!  What did I just do?  I swear I got dizzy and things spun for a moment.  She kept clipping away and more of my hair fluttered to the floor. I looked at it lying there, sad, lifeless and waiting to be swept away.  My poor hair!  It was too late to turn back and she kept at it.  When she was done she looked down and said she’d never cut so much hair off of one person.  It looked like there was about 2 pounds of hair lying at her feet (I have got enough hair for about 3 people.  It’s insane).  I looked in the mirror and shook my much, much, much lighter head.  It took a few moments for me to realize that I had actually had it cut off.  She looked at me apprehensively, but I told her it was great, and it is.  I left feeling lighter both literally and figuratively.    The craziness I’ve been feeling for a few weeks seemed to evaporate.  Isn’t it amazing what a haircut can do?

I don’t have any photos yet, but as soon as I do, I’ll post them.  For now I can tell you that it’s bobbed shoulder length and heavily layered (because there’s so much of it).  It frames my face and really looks great.  My hair, in addition to being crazy thick, grows abnormally fast, so it’ll grow back, but for now, I like it.   And it didn’t involve needles. 

Randomness all around!

Weeeeee! It’s TUESDAY! I love Tuesday! Why? Because that means it’s time for more randomness!

*Randomness looks like it’s spelled wrong, but it’s not.

*My feet are cold.

*I wish my hair looked like Maria Menounos’s. She has a stylist though, so that’s why it always looks good.

*Why don’t I have a stylist? Life would be so much easier if I had a stylist. And a cook. And a maid. Oh, and a masseuse.

*Laundry. Must do laundry. I’m running out of clothes. grumblegrumbleIhatelaundrygrumblegrumble.

*Male birth control? WHAT? Injectable? I like it! Of course the FDA was quick to approve Viagra, but I’m sure they’ll drag their feet on male birth control. Bastards.

*Hearing Ann Curry say “sperm count” over and over is creepy, yet funny.

*I envy how much my dogs get to sleep. And how quickly they fall asleep.

*I’ve been sleeping on my bed with no sheets for 2 days. God, I’m lazy! Note to self: Put sheets on the bed!

*If you’ve never had Butterkase (butter cheese), I feel sorry for you. It’s so delicious.

*The weather is chilly and gray.

*I wonder if Bumpits really work. Go look at them (not yet). I’m oddly obsessed.

*I wish I were a CEO. I’d like a big bonus for running a company into the ground.

*Have you ever been to AsSeenOnTV.com? I could literally spend hours there just looking at all the crazy stuff they sell. It’s amusing. Don’t leave yet.

*Ditto Cake Wrecks. I often wonder what people could be thinking. Seriously, finish my post before you click the links.

*Oh, crap! Look at the time. I must get myself together. Indy has a German lesson today and he can’t drive himself. Darn it.

Now you make look at the links and then check out all the other randomness (just click the pic above and you’ll go directly to unmom).

PS. I knew the swine flu was mostly hype. Knew. It. Don't believe me? Go read last Tuesday's randomness.

IDHTBPTBB-the ebook

Have you heard?  Have you?  The Nester has written an ebook!  I know, I’m crazy excited too!  I signed up for mine, did I mention it’s free?  No?  Sorry about that.  It is!  FREE!  I’m squealing with delight inside.  Okay, maybe a smidge on the outside too, but I cannot firm or deny that.  If you head over to the Nester, you can register for her “might be regular, might not be regular”  newsletter and you will get a copy of the ebook.  FOR FREE!

If you’ve never been to the Nester (and seriously is there any woman in blogland over the age 20 who hasn’t?), you are in for a treat.  She. Will. Set. You. Free.  Free from whatever is holding you back from making your house into the home you’ve always wanted.  You may remember last Monday’s Meta.  I love my great room and would never have been bold enough to do what I wanted if it weren’t for Nester.  Go get your  book and set yourself free.

The Mean Mommy

I found this over on Insanities of a Stay-At-Home-Mom.   It’s so true, so I thought I’d post it today.

 

Someday when my children are old enough to

Understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will

Tell them, as my Mean Mom told me:

I loved you Enough . . .
To ask where you were going, with whom,

And what time you would be home.

I loved you enough to be silent and let you

Discover that your new best friend was a creep.

I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours

While you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes.

I loved you enough to let you see anger,

Disappointment, and tears in my eyes.

Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.

I loved you enough to let you assume the

Responsibility for your actions even when the

Penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.

But most of all, I loved you enough . . .

To say NO when I knew you would hate me for it.

Those were the most difficult battles of all.
I'm Glad I won them, because in the end you won, too.

And someday when your children are old enough to

Understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them.

Was your Mom mean? I know mine was.

We had the Meanest mother in the whole world!
While other kids ate candy for breakfast,

we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast.
When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch,

we had to eat sandwiches.
And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was

Different from what other kids had, too.

Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times.

You'd think we were convicts in a prison.

She had to know who our friends were, and what we were

Doing with them. She insisted that if we said we

Would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.

We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve

To break the Child Labor Laws by making us work

We Had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to

Cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash

And all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lay

Awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.

She always insisted on us telling the truth, the

Whole truth, and nothing but the truth. By the time

We were teenagers, she could read our minds and had

Eyes in the back of her head. Then, life was really tough!

Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn

When they drove up. They had to come up to the door

So she could meet them. While everyone else could

Date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16 .

Because of our mother we missed out on lots of

Things other kids experienced. None of us have ever

Been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's

Property or ever arrested for any crime. It was all her fault.

Now that we have left home, we are all educated,

Honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean

Parents just like Mom was.

 

Are you a mean mom (or dad)?  I know I sure am.  As a result I hope to raise a good, kind, responsible adult.  So, how “mean” are you?

Why the mean?

On my previous post “anonymous” left a nasty little message on my comments section. Apparently she is mad at me for leaving bitchy comments on her blog. I don’t leave bitchy comments. And I don’t comment anonymously. Why do people have to be mean on other people’s blog? Seriously. Be nice people.

EDIT: After a few minutes I realized who wrote that comment (stupid of me not to figure it out right away). If you are reading my blog, I have not left any anonymous comments on your blog. I did read what you wrote on your blog and I really don't care. Yes, I told someone else about it, but in a joking manner as is "Wow, we ticked someone off big time" way. I did nothing after that. I have no beef with you or anyone in your building. If I see you outside I'll tell you that. Please don't leave nasty comments on my blog.

Random Thoughts Tuesday! Whooo Hooo!

Hello my peeps! You know how I dig RTT! Sit back, grab a cup of {insert beverage of choice here}, and prepare yourself for a journey into my mind. Be afraid. Very afraid.

* Why do people say “umble” when there is clearly and ‘h’ at the beginning? It’s HUMBLE. Hum-ble. Don’t drop the ‘h’ please. “Umble” is not a word.

* My flowers on my table are dying. I need to get new ones. I don’t want to go out though. I’ll just have to have a naked table.

* Tired. So tired.

* Matt Lauer’s wife is one lucky chic. He’s hot. Don’t judge me.

* Nate Burkus is hot too. Too bad he’s gay. Why are the majority of the super hot guys (Matt being an exception) gay? That’s not fair.

*The clips holding up my curtains are loose. I need to change them, but….another time.

* I’m beginning to find the smell of spray paint intoxicating. And not in the actual intoxicating way, but the “man, I love how that smells” way. Weird.

* Swine flu. Huh, is that really the best name they could come up with? As a facebook (and real life) friend said yesterday, it sounds like something a Loony Toons character would get. I’m wondering if it really as bad as they say on the news or if the news makes it sound worse than it actually is because it’s more interesting than the economy.

* I’m leading Indy’s Cub Scout meeting tonight because his troop leader is away at AC09 (some military thing) and they begged for volunteers. To get his Tiger Cub badge and move on to the next level of scouting (Wolf Cub, IIRC) he has to make a scrapbook. All the boys need to do this for their badge (though it’s the last thing Indy needs to do), so I told the leader that I would do it with them for a meeting. I’m so not looking forward to this. Scouting is not my thing. Indy had better appreciate all the annoying stuff I do for him.

* I wish I had a fireplace.

* I need light bulbs.

* I read somewhere that you can’t touch all your teeth with your tongue. That’s not true though is it? I’m pretty sure I can do it. Are you trying it right now too? Let me know what your results are.

* I love the show Psyche. It’s so funny. The Mentalist has a similar set up, but is so boring. And I really like Simon Whatshisname. Shawn and Gus are fun. I like my mysteries to be solved with a bit of yelling, fear, jokes and jumping up and down. Probably why I loves Scooby Doo as a kid.

* I say “I” a lot.

* Where’s my bailout payment? I want one. You know, just 1 or 2 billion. No big deal right? The gov’t is just handing it out to people who don’t know what to do with it. I’d know what to do with it!

* Gardening is hard work. I gardened all day yesterday (yes, with my allergies!) and today I feel like I ran a marathon.

* Wolverine. Totally can’t wait to see that movie. Hugh Jackman. Yummy! Not gay but married. He’s on my “5” list. ;)

* Do you have a 5 list? Remember the episode of Friends where they talked about it? You pick 5 celebs that if you ever have the chance to “be with” you have a free pass. Here are my 5:

1. Johnny Depp (duh)

2. Goran Visnjic (Luka from ER)

3. Hugh Jackman

4. Michael Shanks (but only in the persona of Daniel Jackson from Stargate SG-1 because IRL he’s kind of a jerk)

5. Hugh Grant

I’m only one country away from JD, so it’s looking good for my number 1! ;)

And I’ll leave RTT at that. I have more thoughts, but I’m afraid this line of thinking is going to get me in trouble. Thanks Un Mom!

EDIT: As was pointed out, Robert Pattinson did not make my list. Yes, he's super, duper hot, but he's kind of young for me to be in the 5, KWIM? He is one of my 2 alternates (which I did not post). My other alternate is Liam Neeson. Edward Cullen did not make the list because he's not real (WHAT? He's not? No, sadly, he's not). If he were real though, he just might edge Johnny out of the top spot.

Meta Monday: Great Room

It’s been a few weeks since I posted a metamorphosis. Susan hosts it every Monday and I love to see what others are up to. I’ve been planning this one for a long time, but haven’t because I didn’t feel it was finished/good enough/blah, blah, blah. I had a Nester inspired epiphany though and took her motto, It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful to heart and decided it will never really be done because I’m always changing something, and so what if it’s not perfect. I like it and feel comfortable, so that should be good enough. Right?

You may remember this photo. I showed it to way pack in Nov when we first moved in. It was a big, boring, messy room.

Oh, it hurts me just to look at it! The walls! The light fixture (which I showed you in a previous morph)! The…well, everything! Ack!

Have a look at it today:

Isn’t that better? We painted the walls a cappuccino brown, changed the light fixture, added rugs and art, oh, and furniture! I was so happy to have my furniture! Let’s take a look around, shall we?

This book case is just to left in the previous photo. It’s technically part of the dining area, but I like the book shelf there. If you look closely, on the top shelf, second cubby from the left, you can see the sign I won on Nester’s Small Words give-away. I love it! Notice Indy’s little violin case over in the corner? :) It’s so cute! The artwork on the top of the bookcase was done by Indy when he was 3. It’s a triceratops. He is so proud that we framed it and display it. He shows it to everyone. The door to the right, leads back to the bathroom, Indy’s room and the school room.

Here’s out entertainment center. We had to replace the two side pieces that the movers put the forklift through. You can tell what I was watching while I took the photos.

Here are some close ups of a few of the shelves. In order, we have stuff that was brought back (legally) from Iraq, a Paris photo I took with books and mini Eiffel towers, my cloche and another photo I took in Paris with various other chachkies.

This is the Living Room half of the room. I adore my sofa. It’s so comfy. We’re planning on getting an overstuffed leather chair to replace the small chair, but that will come later. I’m also going to recover the pillows, but another time. The cabinet in the back used to be in Indy’s nursery, but we’ve repurposed it to hold DVD’s.

This is the dining room half. Don’t look at my windows. They are filthy! Stupid pollen. The table is also a previous morph. The bench is one of my favorite pieces. When we have people over, we can pull it up to the table for lots of seating.

I would have turned on the overhead light, but just before I took the photos a bulb blew and I don’t have any replacements. D’oh!

So, that concludes this weeks meta. I hope you enjoyed having a look at where I spend much of my time.

Tulip Thievery. Don’t let the Germans catch you!

Yesterday was quite a day! Crazy, in fact. The installation we live on has a closed housing section. At some point these apartments are going to be turned over to the German gov’t, but for now they stand empty. They are however guarded. That’s right, for 3 years, we’ve been paying private security guards to stand at the gate to these buildings that we’re going to give away. Why don’t we just give them away already? What a waste of money.

Anyway…since the gov’t still owns these buildings, the NCOIC of DPW (Department of Public Works) told us (meaning my building coordinator) that we could go take whatever gardening stuff we wanted to help make our building look better. Sweet huh? Recycling at its best! A (the BC’s wife) and I went over to scope it out on Thurs and found literally hundreds and hundreds of tulip and iris bulbs being choked to death by the weeds and overgrowth. Do you know how expensive bulbs are? It was sad really, but at least we were going to put them to good use. There was also a HUGE pile of stuff that had been pulled from the buildings. We wandered around it (and occasionally on top of it) and found a ton of stuff we knew we could use, like planter boxes, resin frames that could be used for a raised garden and tons of other items. It was all just sitting out there!

We told the guards that we would be back on Friday (with shovels and cleaned out SUV’s) to pick up what we wanted. They were fine, and said, in the typical German way “Ja, Ja, das ist not a problem.”

Friday morning dawned cool and clear. A, T (another neighbor), Indy and I loaded up and drove over ready to get our stuff. The guards (different guards) let us in (we told them what we were there for) and off we went shovels in hand.

About 20 minutes later, one of the guards, Georg, came up and told us we couldn’t take anything. WHAT? A polite argument ensued, which resulted in us calling SSG P (who is the NCOIC of DPW). He said we could take whatever we wanted. Not good enough for Georg the Guard. This is NOT Georg, but it gives you an idea.

He wanted SSG P to come down personally and have a chat. And as we had already loaded a bunch of stuff in our SUV’s (that we were not willing to unload) Georg wouldn’t let us leave! We waited, and waited, and waited. SSG P is a very busy man. While we waited (2.5 hours) we went ahead and dug up more stuff. Why not? What’s the worst that could happen? If it turned out that we couldn’t take them, we’d just dump them on the ground. We totally wouldn’t, but that’s what we told Georg. He was actually a pretty nice guy, but Germans are very strict on rules. Whatevs. We chatted with him for a long time about “stealing.” He said we weren’t at that point stealing. We were “attempting” to steal. We argued that we were recycling. He said he had nothing against it, but feared for his job if he let us just walk out with stuff. Really? I think the gov’t has more pressing issues, than some tulip bulbs, but you know.

SSP finally showed up, apologizing profusely for taking so long and spoke to Georg for about 5 minutes, and came over and told us to load up whatever. We showed him what we already had and he just laughed. He had come in a flatbed truck and asked if there was anything else we wanted. I wanted these resin frames to build a container garden with, but they were too big to go in our cars, so he loaded them onto his truck, and then we all finally left the compound. I was sunburned, tired and my allergies were going crazy from being among the billions of dandelions that threatening to take over the area, but triumphant that we were getting all kinds of great and free flowers. Of course they won’t look pretty this year, but next year our building is going to be alight with colorful tulips and irises. Hurrah!

We just might invite Georg over to have a peek!

I'm such a trouble maker! A's husband says he doesn't even want to know what we're up to when we're together. He said he'd come bail us out if he had to, but he doesn't want to know.

The world, the boy and me

Kat tagged me on Catherine's how mom's see the world around the world online dialogue. Take a peek at how mom's around the world think and feel about motherhood.

Things I love about being Indy's mom.

*I like saying he's my son. Isn't that silly? It's true though. I take great pride in the fact that that little man who is so amazing is MY son. He's smart and sweet and really, really funny. It's like talking to a grown up in a kid's body. If you don't believe me, just ask him, he'll tell you. He'll also tell you he's handsome and smart. Very humble, my boy. I am honored to be his mother.

*I love watching him figure out things. As a homeschool mom I am privileged to get to actually see when things click with him. I swear there are times when I can see the little synapses firing off in his brain. It is truly an amazing thing to watch.

*I adore the laughter. Listening to him laugh fills my heart with joy. JOY. Pure, innocent joy.

*Seeing things through his eyes. Boys are very different and seeing things the way he sees them. Looking at bugs and worms has never been so fascinating. Spending an entire day talking like a pirate is a hoot. Especially in public. Yar!

*Knowing that I am his world is such an overwhelming feeling. Of course M is important as are our extended family, but it's me that he wants. Sick, sad, hurt, tired, whatever, he wants me. No one else will do. I know there will come a day when this ends, but for now Mommy is the center of his world. Anyone and everything else are just distant moons circling.

*Learning. I never thought a child could teach me so much. He's taught me patience, kindness, forgiveness, tolerance, joy, excitement, and how to just be. He's also taught me where my personal line is, but that's not something he likes to test.

*I love that he loves everyone. He accepts everyone, no matter their race, religion or ethnicity. He doesn't care what someone looks like on the outside. He just wants everyone to be happy and to get along. He wants everyone to be his friend. Old, young, black, white, hispanic, asian, whatever, he wants to be your friend. He wants to tell you what he knows and find out what you know. That's a beautiful thing to see.

When I was younger I never really wanted to be a mom. SHOCK! Of coures I played with dolls and pretended to be a mommy, but having my own child was something I never wanted. Even as a teenager I never felt the urge that many of my friends did. I don't know why. Kids love me, for some insane reason, but I just never wanted one of my own. As I got older, I knew I would have at least one (M wanted lots of kids-he has since changed his mind), but never got the baby bug. Finding out I was pregnant was a shock to say the least. Once the shock wore off, I was excited and nervous. The thought of being responsible for this tiny being who spent several hours a day using my kidneys as a punching bag was almost overwhelming. What if I screwed him up for life? What if I just wasn't a good mom? What if he hated me? What if I didn't love him like I should? The terror was often panic inducing. July 25, 2002 at 11:41pm Indy came into this world at 18 inches long and weighing in at a whoping 4 pounds 14 ounces. He was tiny and skinny and absolutely the most amazing thing I had ever seen. The moment I laid eyes on him, my aprehension went away. I knew this small little man would change who I was as a person. There's nothing his sweet little soul hasn't touched. The joy of being a mom is incredible. There are days when I am completely overwhelmed and enjoy the silence that ensues when he goes to bed. I wouldn't trade a moment though. Not for anything.

And now I'm done being sappy. I'm not going to tag anyone because I don't want anyone to feel obligated. If you'd like to participate in this dialogue, please feel free and let me know in the comments.

Come back tomorrow because I've got an exciting story for you. I'll tell you the title, just to give you a little taste: Tulip Thievery. Don't let the Germans catch you.

Hip hop in the Street?

 

When, and more importantly why did they decide to hip hop the Sesame Street theme?  Anyone?  Anyone?  

Indy hasn’t watched SS in several years.  Not since he discovered Thomas the Tank Engine and PBS Kids Sprout (I miss you channel!).  When he watched it, it had the same happy theme song I heard when I was little.  You know the one:

Sunny Day
Sweepin' the clouds away
On my way to where the air is sweet
Can you tell me how to get,
How to get to Sesame Street
Come and play
Everything's A-OK
Friendly neighbors there
That's where we meet

Ah, familiar, sweet, catchy.  Not so anymore.  It still has the same lyrics, but the tune is different.  Very different.  Hip hop different.  I usually don’t have SS on in the mornings, but Arf needed to go potty AGAIN so I didn’t have a chance to turn it from yesterday’s World News Tonight (with Charles Gibson) before SS came on.  We walked in the door just as the theme song to SS came on.  I stopped and turned towards the TV in disbelief.  What was I hearing?  What was this weird song?  WHY was I hearing it?  Do toddlers not get enough hip hop?  Do they really need hip hop?  Honestly.   Is this next?

You’ve gone too far PBS.  Too far!