a cute little M story - because I'm not up for the theatre reviews I was planning...

First off you have to know that when M is asked what she wants to be when she grows up she tells you a doctor. Then she amends that to being an animal doctor. (we've taught her the word veterinarian, but she mangles it pretty badly so we just stick with animal doctor)

Of course, being an animal doctor is not good enough for her - her plan is to be THE animal doctor for Animal Planet. I don't know where she got this idea - but she DOES watch an awful lot of Animal Planet... it's her new favorite channel. (hey, we don't have much in the way of cable...)


So... the other day M was drawing a picture of Mrs' Claus. She had written "mommyadadddy" on it - so I asked if that was mommy or daddy... silly question I guess because then she pointed out all the curly blonde hair beyind the hat and her high heeled boots.

We had a good laugh that Mommy was going to be Mrs. Claus when I got older - but then things got serious. Somehow she pieced it together that if I was Mrs. Claus then ManOfTheHouse would have to be Santa - and that the current Santa would have to die... this concerned her quite a bit but not as much as the fact that if we lived at the North Pole that:

"I will never see you and then you and Daddy can only watch me on Animal Planet!"

I told her I didn't want to be Mrs. Claus after all - life is much better now :)

Mr Hitchcock, I think you're missing a bird...

The finally flu free family and I enjoyed a day at the reservoir yesterday - sea-doing here and there, wave-running about... soaking in those last few hours of sun and warmth before we pull out the winter clothes. It was lots of fun. Well, minus those horrendous bugs that met us on our arrival - but the wind quickly vanquished the critters and we were able to eat our lunch without the additional protein. I personally don't think my vanilla zingers needed any more protein, they're perfect as is!

At one point I was walking up the sand to chat with my S.I.L. and the others who were congregating near the food (that's the place to be I tell you!) when one of the kids pointed out a big black bird on my car in the parking lot. and when I say big I mean BIG.

I told one of my sons to go chase it away - and didn't think much of it, aside from wondering what on earth it was doing pecking at my windows.

Well, I'll tell you what it was doing - it was getting me back for my post/rant against animals!

After loading the machines on the trailer (which required me to be nearly submerged in the getting colder all the time water) around dusk, I finally saw the front of the car. No windshield wiper - the bird had torn it to shreds. Little birdy droppings everywhere. Scratches galore on the hood and roof and window glass. I was planning to take a few photographs but last night there was no decent light and this morning the ManOfTheHouse drove the car off to return the machines... you'll just have to imagine the mess because I'm sure he's doing his best to clean it up... as a matter of fact I'm pretty sure that's why he hasn't returned yet... there's a touch-up paint out there with our name on it!

So Dear Mr. Hitchcock - that movie scared the b-whozits out of me when I was a kid... great, you did your job - now will you call back your little possessed prop and let me know where I can send the bill???

Thanks!

Whine Flu

the kids aren't whining. The two oldest want to go back to school... but the school doesn't want them back yet. Sore throat/cough/headache/fever has morphed into runny nose and earache today for W. T Jr. is still battling the same old low grade temp and cough... and how H has spiked a temp to go with her cough...

it's me that's whining!

along the lines of "what the what am I going to do about my hours at work?" and "how the hey-ma-whozit are we going to celebrate our anniversary with sick kids" and "hey, didn't you know we are supposed to spend Friday on the sea-doos with the cousins??!?!?!"

sickness never has spectacular timing.

so boo-hoo, whine whine whine, and all that jazz... now it's time to suck it up because I'm the mom and that makes me an expert at sucking it up. I even have a bronzed straw to prove it! (okay, I don't actually HAVE a bronzed straw - but we've discussed it...)

not to worry - all is well... I'll spend tomorrow getting school assignments for these kids so that they can all return to the land of learning as soon as possible - and until then we will make sure we drink plenty of liquids (M.O.T.H. pointed out it would be hard to drink solids) and get plenty of rest. Health and prosperity is just around the corner.... or at least Health is, I think I saw prosperity sneaking off to find a new hiding place...

And happy Anniversary to that ManOfTheHouse - congratulations on putting up with me for 16 years without ever once telling me that your mother's meatloaf was better :) Love you!!!

Animal Magnetism - among other things...

If I'm in a room FULL of people and the family cat or dog walks into the room, guess who it always comes to? Each - and - every - time... ManOfTheHouse gets a great kick out of this phenomenon because in a world of cat people vs. dog people - I am neither. Does that make me a people person?

Awhile back I was enjoying my morning walk and about half way around the park a cat came to join us. This cat had either a death wish or brain damage because it spent the next 10 minutes or so walking either immediately to the right or left of me... the most exciting part of this was when it moved from right to left - then left to right... I'm still shocked that I didn't trip on it... or step on it... or drop kick it into the volleyball court. (For old college friends that are reading this - I promise, it's not considered animal cruelty because I knew the cat would land on its feet!) That same week I was in a neighbor's home and their huge dog the size of Marmaduke must have thought I was his best friend... too big to drop kick, but I did give him a shove or two in the opposite direction and finally the owner locked him in the garage.

Why is this funny? I've often wondered myself why the M.O.T.H. is so amused... but here, I'll tell you why HE thinks it's funny. I REALLY detest most critters - besides the fact that my allergies send me drinking benadryl out of a paper bag on street corners - the animals themselves just annoy me. With apologies to those of you who love little Fido or Mittens like they're your children - I just don't see it... I mean, do you look forward to the day when Fido or Mittens graduates so that you can turn their room into the sewing room? (yes, I'm feeling a bit cynical this week... sorry!)

Not only are animals attracted to me - apparently so is every BAD driver in town. Or maybe it's just the folks that I have been driving with... could that be it??? A co-worker (commonly known as the boss-lady) accused me of driving around in stealth mode after being nearly side swiped TWICE in one day.

The very first time I was nearly smashed in a round-about... and if your city doesn't have these "innovations of transportation" I want you to do something right now (well, after you finish reading my blog) - Write a letter to your city planner and thank them profusely. Seriously. The concept is fine, but the actual use of these things is like icy roads... not everyone should be allowed to drive on them! Thankfully my other co-worker R.L. was in the backseat and took care of instructing the offending driver in where to go... or at least that's what I inferred from the reaction of the other 3 passengers - I was too busy freaking out to listen. Unfortunately R.L. has not been with us for all future near-death car trips - prompting the new office phrase to be "where's R.L. when you need her?"

Other than being attacked by stray felines and nearly driven off the road by their stray-brained owners... life has been, well... "normal"??? By normal of course I mean "ironic" because as I was having all kinds of fun at physical therapy (for a long ago ankle injury) I got a phone call from my son at school... he'd just sprained his ankle! Yikes!

Funny Story - or at least sort of funny, I'll be laughing about it in a few weeks I'm sure: T Jr. rolls his ankle in his weight training class - then hops up to the teacher (a substitute) and tells him he's hurt his ankle and asks what he should do? The Sub: "well, work on your arms"

not kidding. wish I were.

moron.

The REAL coach - he was out with the swine flu. We were a little annoyed with this tidbit of information since he's also a neighbor of ours... then in the last week we realize about 6 of the neighbor kids are down with the swine flu... make that 7 because now W is hacking up a lung. Ugh. The joys of motherhood!

and yes, I DO realize I'm supposed to be calling it H1N1 - yeah, right - when pigs fly...

thanks again to all my wonderful blog readers/friends/family/neighbors/angels in disguise for all of the support and words of comfort - it's meant the world to me... I'm trying to be a better bloggist this week... hmmm... maybe I should have split this post up a tad instead of hitting you with it all at once??? Thanks for sticking with it :)