Woah!

You know you have spent too much time reading Science Fiction and Fantasy when you have a dream where you are in the woods hiding from talking wolves who you end up slaying with a special magical sword and, in the process of that fight, you are nipped leading you to wonder if you are now going to become a werewolf. Then, suddenly, you are in a spaceship and you realize that the reason you were hiding in the woods is that the evil maniac floating over you was trying to capture you as part of his evil plan to turn everyone into robots.

Fun stuff

As seen at Chichimama's. There is a quiz you can take to help me see if my assessment of my self is how others see me.

Vacation time

We are leaving tomorrow for a week at my inlaws. Evan has been harassing me ever since I mentioned that a trip to Grandma's house as in the future. He can't understand why we can't just hop in the car and leave right now. He also now has an incredibly tenacious memory, a good night's sleep is no longer enough to make him forget about something. I doubt I will be doing any blogging, they have dial up and it takes forever to simply check my email. Here are some fun links to entertain you while I am away. Enjoy!

• A shirt that combines two fun things, knitting and pirates.
• The Navy really knows how to have fun while on deployment.
• A great pillow for a fun practical joke.
• More Monty Python, but with a hilarious twist.
• What stars would look like if they were normal like us.
• The hot new cell phone.
• This is what happens when someone has a lot of time on their hands.
• It is never too early to turn your child into a geek.
  

Everybody loves a parade

Every year a neighboring town has a parade to help celebrate the town's founding. Instead of the usual parade they made it into a kid's parade. Every other year we have been here we have not gone for one reason or another, but this year we were finally able to bring Evan and Harry to their first parade.

I love small town parades and this one was the perfect small town parade. The route was short, the crowds were not overwhelming and the parade was fun. We parked pretty far away but were able to snag a great spot in the shade at the end of the parade route. That was especially lucky because by then most of the candy throwing people were out of candy. The boys got just enough that it was fun for them but it was not too much for mommy and daddy to carry home. One boy even gave Harry some beads that he has missed out on getting because of his small size and slower little legs.

There was also booths and several bounce houses in the park. Evan and Harry got a huge kick out of mauling the very friendly and tolerant police dog. The local animal shelter had a game where you were supposed to toss dog treats in to the mouth of a picture of a dog to get a treat. Evan went right up to the picture of the dog and put them in, instead of standing back and tossing them in like all the other kids. I didn't let Harry do it because I knew he would try eat the dog treats rather than tossing them.

We finished off the fun day by eating lunch at a fish and chips place that I had been wanting to try for some time now. It was heaven and everyone enjoyed the deep fried food. It was fun and refreshing to do something different than the normal cleaning up the house on Saturday routine. It was also fun to explore the town some. I hope you had a fun Saturday.

Tags: parade, kids, children, dog

Traintastic

Evan had a train filled day today. First off we visited a scale train amusement park. The train ride was fun but once that was done there really was not too much for the kids to do. They were too short for most of the rides there and the petting zoo was only accessible by train. Harry did not like the train tunnels, he started crying because the kids behind us started yelling and screaming every time we went through one.



When we got home there was a lovely package waiting for us. Vicky sent us some Thomas trains that her sons had outgrown. Evan had an absolute blast playing with them all afternoon while Harry was napping. They are a tiny bit old for him but with some help from mommy and daddy he is going to have a lot of fun. He thinks it is the funniest thing when we run two trains on the track and they crash. Thank you a ton Vicky!!! Blog friends are some of the nicest people.

Tags: train, Thomas the Train, toys, fun

A contest

Adventures in Babywearing is having a neat contest for a sling that is especially made for the summer by KimzKreations. It helps block out UV rays and keeps mom nice and cool. I love slings, they are the best baby gadget that I have ever purchased for my boys. If you have a needy child that has to be held all the time nothing can beat a ring sling. The front carriers just killed my back and shoulders, but ring slings spread the weight and you can wear the child for hours with out any discomfort. Go over and check out the contest if you have a baby, are pregnant or even just want another baby eventually (like me).

Tags: slings, contest

Fun stuff

We will be away for a family reunion for the next few days. Here is some fun stuff to tide you over until my return.

Meme 1

Dr. Rob tagged me for the Eight Things Meme. I have done this one (or similar ones several times) and they can be found here or here. I am doing this for Dr. Rob because he was kind enough to answer a question that I asked him on his blog.


Fun Links

Check out these very detailed and amazing balloon sculptures.

Here is an awesome way to keep the kids or cat from unrolling your yarn while you are knitting.

Can you tell the difference between a computer programmer and a cannibal?

This is one of my favorite time passing games. It is so simple yet filled with mind bending strategy.

Who has not wanted to do this?

Have you wondered how many midsized cars there are in an elephant?

If you like Monte Python this is for you. Here is my personal favorite, I seriously have watched it about five times in the last three days. Someone had waay too much time on their hands.

Meme 2

Summer tagged me for the 5 Things meme, enjoy.

What were you doing 10 years ago? (5 things)

1. Graduating from High School
2. Getting ready to leave the house for wild adventures in college
3. Saying good bye to friends that I knew I would not keep in touch with
4. Working a lame job because my parents would not let me slack off for the summer
5. Reading a lot of fun books

Five Snacks You Enjoy:

1. Potato chips
2. Cheeze its
3. toast
4. Strawberries from my garden
5. milk

Five Songs That You Know All The Lyrics To:

1. White and Nerdy- Weird Al
2. Bohemian Rhapsody
   
3. No One to Depend On- Santana (the title pretty much contains the majority of the lyrics in the song so it was quite easy to memorize)
4. Wish You Were Here- Pink Floyd
   
5. The theme song to Thomas and Friends

Five Things You Would Do If You Were a Millionaire:

1. Buy a house, only here in California I would still have to pay a mortgage if I wanted to get something half way decent.
2. If I were to live in another state I would buy a place with a lot of land so I could have me some animals.
3. I would invest the money until I retired and live like a queen
4. I would buy a pimped out minivan that would make all my mom friends green with envy.
5. Travel with kids and with out.

Five bad habits

1. I stay up too late at night.
2. I do not keep up with my laundry
3. I make my kids fetch me drinks from the fridge (kidding!)
4. I buy my kids too many toys because I like playing with them too
5. Sometimes I spend too much time online

Five Things You Like To Do:

1. Read
2. Blog
3. Crafty stuff
4. Naps
5. Dig in the sand with my boys

Five Things You Would Never Wear Again:

Check out the link for illustrated examples

Five Favorite Toys

1. My iPod
2. My computer
3. The boy's duplo set. I have acquired 200+ blocks for them, so we can build some really cool houses and towers
4. the digital camera
5. Crayons, coloring is very therapeutic and fun

I am not tagging but I hope you enjoyed the meme.

Tags: fun links, meme

My son's pediatrician knows I listen to Weird Al

I brought my iPod with me last visit to the pediatrician's office. I knew that Evan would have a freak out and was hoping that the novelty of being able to play with mommy's much coveted toy would keep him distracted. It did not work for more than five seconds for Evan but Harry was entranced enough that he only threatened to pass out once.

While I was getting Harry dressed again (he is average for weight, has a huge head and is 25% for height so he is a shortie) the good doctor asked if he could look at my iPod. He had bought them for his kids but they were not good at sharing (typical teenagers). He wanted to see what all the buzz was about. He tried out the earphones and noted that he could not hear Evan sobbing any more. I guess that is why iPods are so popular with parents, they are good at drowning out the sounds of a screeching child.

He handed it back and then much to my chagrin started to discuss the song that had been playing. In my haste to entertain the kids I had pushed play on my Wierd Al play list. Had I known that someone else was going to listen I would have picked something a bit cooler. Although, quite honestly, I am not sure I really have any "cool" music. Even if I had, it could have been lost on the good doctor any way. He grew up in India and I have a feeling that his taste in music is quite different than mine is.

Weekend fun

Have you ever wondered how to predict if you child will do well on the SATs? Just measure their fingers. There is a lot of fun to be had with knitting. Have you ever wanted your own ninja? I have. Here is a fun game to play, What is your best score?

We have a winner!!

......Summer is the Queen of Poop! Email me with your address, so I can get you your prize. I want to send a big thank you to all the participants with their really crappy (tee hee) stories.

If you want to have another chance to win something head over to Karen's blog PediScribe. She is running a very easy and fun contest for an amazon gift certificate. Karen took over the blog from her husband (a pediatrician and podcaster extrodinare) a few months ago and has really added new life to it. He still posts now and then on topics of interest to parents but mostly is is all her (except for that brief time where her cat took over the blog while the humans were on vacation). I consider her a very good blog friend and one of the many bloggers I would love to meet in real life some day. Go forth and win!

Who is the queen of poop (revised)

We had a couple of late entries and they were just too funny to pass up. I am going to start voting over again to include these stories.

The first story is by Vicky. She tells an amusing story of her husband changing her first son's diaper while they were still in the hospital. Guinevere tells us of the peril of leaving your child diaper less. I learned that lesson well. Finally we have Summer who writes about an unfortunate combination of a power outage and a massive diaper leakage. Next up is Damselfly with a tale of horror (her mother's). What happens when you have a husband with a weak stomach? Jessica knows.

Vote using the poll

Ten things that make life grand for me

I was tagged to do this meme by Laura. These are not going to be the obvious things like my husband and kids, but little things that I think make life a little nicer.

1. Homemade apple crisp with ice cream on top. That was the dessert Evan requested for Family Home Evening dessert. It was very yummy!
2. A very gripping series of books that I am reading. I have to finish all three books in less than two weeks (our library has newer books on a time limit, so more people can read them and of course the last book in the series is the two weeker so I have to read all three in that time limit) which is a very fun challenge for me.
   
3. The nice weather that has been happening these last few days. It has been warm but not oppressively so.
4. Evan finally starting to express himself more and more. He took so long to start the whole talking thing that I was starting to get worried. It is nice to see him catching up with his peers.
5. My sisters coming for a visit this weekend. They enjoy spoiling the boys and it is fun to have visitors to change the routine.
   
6. My kids sleeping in until a luxurious (I am being sarcastic here) 7:30. It beats them waking up at 6am by a long shot though.
7. Bedding fresh from the dryer.
8. Nap time.
9. A day in which I do not have to change a poopy diaper. This is a vary rare occurrence but very welcome.
10. The Fridays my husband is able to come home early from work. It is nice to be able to get a bit of a head start on the weekend.
    

Ten more things about Awesome Mom

If you want to read a few more things about me my mom put up a few things on her blog.

The man eating plant one needs a bit of explanation. I took the term man eating quite literally and thought that only males had to worry about being eaten by it. The reality was that it was just a giant weed in a field. My mom called my dad up at work and had him explain that there was no such thing as a man eating plant.

Some people have too much time on their hands

This is what I thought would be happening when I first heard George Carlin's voice reading on Evan's Thomas video. Evan had a good giggle about the farting noises.

A new holiday

I have decided that tomorrow is Blame Everything on my Husband Day. I wanted to start it today but since it was late afternoon when I came to this conclusion it was moved to tomorrow.

Global warming? Yep it is my husband's fault that the planet has a fever.

Something spilled on the floor? My husband did something that caused the spill.

The kids are cranky? Yep his fault again even though he leaves the house before they wake up.

The weather is not as nice as you like it? Yup it is my husband's fault.

Anything goes tomorrow. Feel free to add your suggestions about things that are my husband's fault.

Part 2

I could not resist doing this one again, it was so fun the first time around. This time Chelle is interviewing me.

1. Which of the seven dwarfs would best describe your husband? Well I could say Grumpy but really that is me so I am going with Sneezy, He has a very amusing sneeze.

2. Knowing you are night person, what is the hardest part of your morning? Getting up in the morning. The kids are just do dang bright and chipper chock full of energy. I swear that they suck it out of me while I am asleep.

3. What is the biggest challenge when balancing the needs of two children? Making sure that Evan's issues do not overwhelm Harry's needs.

4. If you were stranded on a deserted island and had EVERYTHING you needed and wanted ... what would be the one thing you would want to OMIT? Mosquitoes, they are annoying and bound to be buzzing all over any deserted island worth living on.

5. Where you ever a Doctor Who fan? I was not, but I am now after watching the first season of the new version.

A fun game

I saw this over at Underachieving Mommy and not so proud of it. Nanette gave me five questions to answer, which are below.

If you would like to play along:
The Rules: Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me.” I respond by asking you five personal questions (I will leave these questions for you in my comments) so I can get to know you better. If I already know you well, expect the questions may be a little more intimate! You WILL update your journal/bloggy thing/whatever with the answers to the questions (please don't leave your answers in my comments unless you don't have a blog). You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

1. You are given the choice between:
a)Having one question--i.e. What is the origin of life?--of your choice answered with absolute certainty.
b)Receiving a briefcase with One Million Dollars.
Knowledge or Money?

I am a sucker for knowledge every time. I have always been pretty curious about the universe so I would have to pick that. A briefcase with a million dollars would be quite tempting since that is the only way we could afford to buy a house in the city we are living in right now.

2. What characteristics(of others) do you absolutely despise?

Ignorance and stupidity are things that I truly despise in others. Selfishness is another one, it seems like so many people are only looking out for number one and trying to get their hands on as much stuff as possible that they ignore the fact that relationships and other intangible things are what truly matter.

3. What did you dream of becoming when you were a child?

I always wanted to work with animals. I read the James Herriot books so I dreamed of becoming a country veterinarian. Then I went to college and met some actual vet students and realized how incredible difficult it would be and since I also knew that I wanted to become a stay at home mother some day I decided the expense of school would not be worth it to me.

4. What is the hardest thing for you about having a child with special needs?

I think that the hardest thing about Evan's health issues is the possibility that I will outlive him. I don't want to have to bury my own child. I know that the separation would only be temporary but it would still be heart breaking.

5. If you had to choose between losing your vision or losing your hearing, which would you choose and why?

I think I would have to pick hearing. We are such visual beings that it would make a much bigger impact on my life to be unable to see.

Real moms...

Think their kids are absolutely perfect....

When they are asleep.

Her Bad Mother poked me into doing this meme. You can find more of them over here.

Nice

Here are some things I wish my husband would say to me.

When bad food happens to good people

Disclaimer: by reading this disclaimer you absolve Awesome Mom from all responsibility should you choose to actually attempt to feed your family any of the following recipes.

We are going to enter the way back machine. We will go back to a very carefree time when Awesome Mom was a young tyke who was totally innocent about the awfulness heading her way.

One Christmas my very health obsessed grandmother gifted my father with a recipe book called Recipes to Lower Your Fat Thermostat. My father was a tad pudgy and heading towards high blood pressure according to my grandmother, so in an attempt to head off this descent into bad health she gave him the book and made him promise to make some recipes from it.

The recipes in the book were low fat, low taste and generally just plain awful. It was pretty clear that the author had not actually taste tested her own recipes or she would not have produced the book in the first place. The only recipe that was any good was a chicken noodle soup that my father dumped salt in.

To illustrate my point about the awfulness I am putting up two of the more memorable recipes. The first is a lovely little concoction called bean loaf. It should never be made with kidney beans as the texture of it will be similar to something you would find in a diaper after a stomach virus had hit your child (that is about as delicately as I can put it). On a good day my sisters and I would call it dog poo. Sadly my parents actually served this to us several times before our whines eventually got it off the menu. The next recipe is called Unusual Oatmeal Soup. It is very aptly named as it has a very unusual appearance, texture and taste. Sadly that really is not a good thing. When this gem was present at the table, even my mother (who tried to present a united food front with my father) refused to eat it. This was never served again but it became a family joke that has lived on through the years.

Bean Loaf

3 C cooked beans
1 chopped onion
1/2 C chopped mushrooms
1/4 C wheat germ
1 C grated carrots
2 egg whites
3 T tomato juice
3 T catsup
To taste seasoning with out salt
1 C Beef bouillon

Use pinto, lima, black, garbanzo or the bean of your choice. Grind or chop the cooked beans. See, it starts off bad texture wise and never recovers

Satue onions and mushrooms until tender. Add to chopped beans.

Combine wheat germ, carrots, egg whites, tomato juice, catsup and seasonings with bean mixture in a large bowl. The mixture should be thick. Pat it into a non-stick loaf pan or mold onto a non-stick baking sheet

Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes. Pour a little beef bouillon over bean loaf during cooking to keep mixture moist. If you have to do that then maybe you should not be making this at all Serve if you dare.

Unusual Oatmeal Soup

1 C sliced onion
1/2 C sliced mushrooms
2 Cloves of minced garlic
1 C rolled oats
7 C chicken stock
2 1/2 C stewed tomatoes this is where the recipe really looses it for me since I am not a huge fan of stewed tomatoes aka peeled eyeballs
to taste seasoning with out salt
1 C skim milk or chalk water as my husband likes to call it

Saute onions, mushrooms and garlic until tender. They don't say what you should saute it in but you can bet it is not butter.

Stir in oats, stock and tomatoes.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Season and stir in milk I really don't get why you would stir in the seasonings last since in theory you would want them in there longer so the flavors blend. Serve hot and watch your family disown you.