Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Leave a comment

I've discovered that I have, apparently, upset someone with some of my comments. I'm going to say more about this later (and probably send an e-mail explaining), but in the meantime (and since I missed de-lurking week) is it so much to ask that if you are reading this, and haven't commented before, could you maybe do so now?

Just click down there underneath the post where it says 0 (or however many) comments. Then, type something ("Hi - it's me - John Doe from Middle of Nowhere, America" would be suffficient), enter as "other" or "anonymous" and type the word verification letters (had to have them, since I've been spammed here before), and click "Login and Publish."

Pretty easy. Might help me know who's actually looking at this thing, and censor myself (or not) accordingly.

Not so much effort involved. All the cool people are doing it. Fall victim to the peer pressure!!!!!

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Doctors, doctors everywhere

Turner had his 9 month check-up today. (It was supposed to be last Tuesday, but our van wasn't running, so we had to cancel. The van runs again.)

The stats:

21 lbs., 12 oz., 29 inches long

Compared to his brother (why do we feel compelled to do this?): 2 ounces lighter, 2 inches shorter.

And perfect.

I did manage to shock the heck out of the ped, when she asked how long I planned to breastfeed. I responded with, "I nursed his brother until he was 2 1/2." She asked if that "got painful" especially when they have tantrums. ? Why would it be painful? And it's an amazing HELP with tantrums, and calms kids down. It would be SO nice if peds would actually be more informed about breastfeeding. Really, really, really nice.

I did have the confidence to just answer, straight up, without any hesitation. Very proud of myself for that - it took me awhile to overcome it. Now, though, I'm completely open and honest and will answer any questions. A few weeks ago we (me and two other mothers) were discussing breastfeeding, and I told them how long I nursed Guthrie, and about tandem nursing. One of the moms had a lot of questions, but I think it opened her eyes a lot. I don't look like the stereotypical crunchy granola earth mama, and so I think it makes people actually think about their preconceived notions of things.

In other, equally important news, Eric had a physical this morning, too. The first one he's ever had, at the age fo 45. And the news? He's healthy as a horse. (Um, not Barbaro) Blood pressure was 103/60 (!), everything else was great. He won't get the numbers back on the blood tests for another week, but he said the doctor was amazed at how healthy he is (no allergies, no chronic conditions). Especially since he smokes too much, has a drink (or two ... or ten) almost every night, and drinks coffee like water. The doc does want him to come back for a lung x-ray, which I want him to do too, but Eric still says he's going to quit smoking ... soon... and wants to wait until then for the x-ray. If he hasn't done it by his birthday, then I'm going to start nagging. : )

And, I have an appointment in two weeks, for a general physical and to discuss treatment for my ridiculous PMS. I may have to give up the IUD and go back on the pill (which I don't want to do because it's almost guaranteed to cut my milk supply, and force Turner into an early weaning). We'll see.

Ah, having health insurance - finally - is a great thing.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Our annual family photo


Never got around to posting this. It's our family photo, taken New Year's Day. We finally figured out how to use the timer on our camera.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Blogging Baby Image of the Day

Samantha and Guthrie are Image of the Day over on Blogging Baby! Click the headline to see.

Monday, January 22, 2007

The wine rack is full


It looks like some strange form of punishment, doesn't it?
My uncle Bill, my mom's brother, passed away last night.

He was a good man, who had lived hard, but had, from what I could tell, a huge heart. When I was going through a hard time in my life - during my divorce, when I felt like everyone was against me - he made a small gesture that stood out to me so much, and made me feel like there was someone on my side, someone who still cared about me.

Right after my grandma died, everyone present was hugging and consoling each other, and I was standing off to the side by myself. I wasn't a part of the family then, I didn't feel, and haven't felt that way since. Bill saw me standing off all alone, and came up and put his arm around me to see if I was okay. He was the only one to acknowledge that I had feelings too, and that I was sad to see my grandma go. I couldn't allow myself to cry - the black sheep has a reputation to uphold - but at least he knew I wanted to.

That small gesture meant the world to me. I have a picture of the two of us at my wedding reception, which I treasure.

I'm sorry I'll be unable to attend the services, but will be there in spirit.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

You're (not) getting sleepy ...

Can I just say it is currently almost 11 at night and both boys are WIDE AWAKE!!!!!! I don't know how they do it. I need more sleep. Nothing is working, and I've given up. They'll eventually pass out, right?

(And I wanted to add that I noticed I've been stealing all kinds of things from Alison lately. My version of cyber-stalking, I guess, and that I have nothing interesting of my own to say)

Personality Test, stolen from Alimum

My Personality

Neuroticism
28
Extraversion
38
Openness To Experience
71
Agreeableness
11
Conscientiousness
40

You are neither a subdued loner nor a jovial chatterbox. You enjoy time with others but also time alone. You are generally calm and composed, reacting moderately well to situations that most people would describe as stressful. Novelty, variety, and change spice up your life and make you a curious, imaginative, and creative person. People see you as tough, critical, and uncompromising and you have less concern with others' needs than with your own. You are reasonably reliable, organized, and self-controlled.

Test Yourself Compare Yourself View Full Report

Ugg Boots, Cheap Ugg Boots and MySpace Surveys by Pulseware MySpace Layouts

This actually fits about right. I'd like to think I'm more concerned with others' welfare than it says, but I don't know - I know I don't do enough to help others, so it's probably right. Am I "tough, critical and uncompromising?" Yes, I guess, at least in some ways.

Boring? Maybe.

Yeah, I'm boring

We've all been entirely too boring lately, and I've had nothing of note to add to the blogosphere. Sad, really, I know. I mean, I could tell you all about the 16-bean soup and ham I have in the crock pot, or the strangely refreshing cool weather, or the great new black skirt I got at Target, but who cares, really?

The only interesting thing? I finally set up a MySpace page, and through it have found some old friends. Very, very cool! I located a couple of my old roommates who I haven't seen in a good 5+ years, cyber-stalked at least one ex-boyfriend (gourds if he has a sitemeter and locates me!!!!!) (Eric does know about it - we looked up some of his exes too, but couldn't find any), and am generally wasting way too much time sucked into the MySpace universe.

I could go on and on about how great it is, but at the same time how really scary, but most of you have btdt, so I won't. But it is, still, very very cool.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Guthrie said:

In response to Daddy's statement to "be careful with Turner, he is little and fragile:"
"Soon he will be big and it will be better to knock him over."

Links

I've added two new links over at the side of the page, over there--------------->

One is to my T-Mobile photo album, with pictures taken from my phone. (Camera phone was my Christmas present, thankyouverymuch) The pictures are, as such, not great, but since sometimes they're taken when a regular camera is otherwise unavailable, they're kind of cute.

The other link is to my Fit Day Journal. I signed up for this not because I need to lose weight (I don't - I stepped on the scale a few days ago to see I was officially back to my pre-pregnancy weight), but because I need to a) eat healthier, and b) get more exercise. I thought keeping track of my food and activity, and being responsible to anyone who wants to read about it on the internet, might help me stay on targe.

So, for the first part (eat healthy): Over Christmas break, with all the traveling, having the girls, and everything, my overall diet went downhill. And now, I'm trying to get it back under control. Now, I realize that my "junk food diet" is still better than the "SAD" (Standard American Diet), but with the whole family history of diet-related health problems, I feel it's got to be even better than that.

And going to the El Pollo Loco website, and seeing that the (very yummy) burrito I had yesterday for lunch (which also cost like $5!) had 1,100 calories!!! did put things in perspective. But man, was it yummy.

And we'll ignore the fact that Guthrie and I shared a Snickers bar for breakfast. Eric bought it yesterday, and we had to get rid of it, right? (Where's the blushing emoticon when you need it?)

For the second part? More exercise? Well, I went to Curves for Women last week, to try out their free 3 day trial. I actually really like it there, and for someone so totally out of shape like me (I may be a healthy weight, but trust me, I'm out of shape) I think it will be perfect. Except - I'm so out of shape I injured myself already. I went in on Thursday and Friday, and my calf muscle in my right leg has hurt - really hurt - all weekend. It's getting better, finally, and I think I'll try going back on Thursday.

If I join, my goal is to go in on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, as those are times Eric's schedule will definitely let me go. And my goal, aside from being fit? I want to wear a bikini this summer. Yep, that's right. Hold me to that goal, please?

My only real concern about Curves (I've read some criticisms online, but think they don't apply because I'm in the group Curves might benefit the most, and because you can get what you want out of any work out plan, if you try) is that both times I've gone most of the other women there have been Winter Texans. Which is not a bad thing, except that these ladies 40 years older than me are in much better shape, and I don't know how much of a motivator it will be. Actually, probably a huge motivator not to let a 70 yo woman kick my butt!

I've also been trying to get back into the habit of taking the boys to the park every day. We've been doing well, but we hadn't been walking there, which I'd like to start doing again. Except that it got cold, and so for a few days we're staying home!

So wish me luck. Tell me to lay off the candy and cheese. And get off my butt.

Monday, January 15, 2007

South Park Williamsons

Stolen from Alimum. What Eric and Judy would look like in South Park.

(And forgive the bad photo editing - I can't seem to get it to work right)





I look too much like Anna Nicole Smith, but Eric seems about right. If only I'd been able to put a beer in the other hand. Don't you want an English prof who looks like this?

Snow? Ice? COLD?

Look over there ------------------------>
at the little Weather Pixie. (Okay, you have to scroll down too) See what she's wearing? See the temperature?

Uh-huh. It's cold here. Yes, I said that - COLD! Right now, as I type, it's 35F.

Now, I know to those of you stuck back in Missouri, who are dealing with single digits and negative wind chills, it's not that cold. But here - it was 80F yesterday. We were at the park in shorts and sandals. It NEVER snows here (I don't think it's going to, but there is a chance of sleet or flurries), and people are seriously bundled up in parkas, gloves, and all-out winter gear.

We even had to turn our heat on! (Which sucks, because the heater makes everything dry and feel nasty, and we don't have a humidifier anymore)

I'm not complaining. My tree is still blooming in the front yard, our banana tree has gotten huge (no fruit yet). I am a little concerned about the orange trees, though. And that people were looking at US like we wre crazy because we didn't have coats and hats on the babies at the bookstore.

So, feel for us people. I'm wearing sweats instead of capris! The palm trees need jackets! It's COLD!

Friday, January 12, 2007

6 Weird Things

I've been tagged by Alimum for this meme. 6 Weird Things about me (That I feel comfortable posting for the whole world to see)

And I don't think I "know" six more bloggers to tag. :( I'll try though.

So ...

1. I have a strange ability to name the year a piece of popular music came out. This only seems to be applicable to the last 30ish years, but it's very good. Eric will sometimes even play me music I've never heard, by some obscure band only he and one some guy in Vancouver listen to, and I'll look at him and go, "1982," at which point he'll check the date on the record, and sure enough, I'm right. Sometimes, all I have to do is look at the album art, and I can guess it that way.

2. I take a ridiculous pleasure in some of the most mundane tasks, which other people despise. Filling out forms, for example, or taking surveys. At the doctor's office, I actually look forward to the part where you get there early so you can update all of your patient information forms. I'll take surveys all day, just for fun, and will fill out every one I get in the mail, even if I don't send it in. If it has bubbles and needs a Number Two Pencil, even better.

3. I can remember useless numbers forever, and will never forget a birthdate once I've learned it. I can tell you my best friend's phone number from 6th grade. (Last 4 digits, 5876). The birthdate of every ex-boyfriend I've ever had (whose birthdate I knew). Every family member's birthdate. Even my husband's ex-wives' birthdays. And, more uselessly, (unless I'm ever on Debt, the game show), the birthday of every member of the New Kids On The Block.

4. I feel much more comfortable when I am wearing a bra. So much so that I often sleep in one.

5. I love tomatoes. I mean, I really love tomatoes. Salsa is probably my favorite food. A treat is one of those little containers of grape tomatoes. When my husband wants to do something sweet for me, he'll slice a tomato, drizzle a little olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, maybe some garlic or other spice. I'd take a big bowl of tomatoes over most candy, most of the time. But I despise ketchup.

6. In elementary school, for a program, we learned a song where we sang the 50 states in alphabetical order. I can still do it.

Okay, so I'm not that weird.

And I'm tagging ... Abby, April, and, uh, those might be the only untagged bloggers I know. :(

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Peyton Manning

Sucks!

Playoffs

I was excited to see that the Chiefs had indeed managed to sneak into the playoff picture. I was getting all ready to listen to the game today. I'm even wearing my new, pink Chiefs t-shirt my mom got me for Christmas.

Then I decided to actually look it up and see how they are playing.

Colts. Peyton Manning.

Yeah, forget it. Final score? 45-6, Colts. Or something like that.

*sigh*

The football gods hate Kansas City. (So do the baseball gods, but that's a different story)

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Pointless Coincidence

While napping with the boys a little while ago, I had a dream I was reading a softcore porn magazine featuring nothing but Kirstie Alley. The mag was called "Thighs." Thought it was strange.

Then I looked at my blog stats, and discovered that someone, while we were napping, found me here through a link from Karrie's blog post about Kirstie Alley's Oprah appearance, and the controversy afterward.

Pointless? Yes. But very very strange.

Profiling

Eric has spent the last 36-ish hours driving both girls back to other family members, for them to go home. He left here yesterday morning, drove to north of Dallas to meet Samantha's grandmother, and then headed south to Houston to take Rosalind home. He spent the night west of Houston, and now he's on his way home.

He is a white male, driving alone, in a white Ford pickup with Missouri plates.

And he says he's been followed by a Border Patrol agent for quite some time now, even through a stop to get gas and a stop to relieve himself at a rest stop (the BP stopped at both places too). He was about to go through the Checkpoint, and was feeling rather sure he'd be stopped soon. He said he got pulled over yesterday and received a warning "fix it ticket" for a light being out, except it wasn't. Out, that is.

I do see that he fits a profile, of, what, some kind of smuggler. Don't know if he seems more likely to be smuggling drugs or people. But this is kind of ridiculous. And what would he be smuggling into the Valley?

When he drove to San Antonio, alone, to fly out of that airport, he was detained for quite some time at the Checkpoint. It was 4 a.m., and I could see how that looked suspicious.

Of course the really funny part, at least to me, is that this always happens to him. In Missouri, he drove an old, beat-up 1970 VW Beetle, and got pulled over countless times, because with his long hair and beard he looks (apparently) like an old hippie, and they assumed he had some pot with him. In all his times of being pulled over (a dozen or more, at least, in about 3 years time) I think he only got one ticket.

He's never been pulled over driving our van, driving my old Cougar, or when the kids and I were with him.

I guess that what he gets for being a redneck Ph.D. Get a haircut, and get a real job ...