Happy Halloween!

Boo to you! :D


The kids are off to Sunday School here shortly and then we will be getting this Haunted Day started. All four girls are going to be the Cheetah Girls



I made their costumes out of material I bought at Walmart. Each girl is a different color cheetah girl. Mr. Bill is going to go as Bob the builder. He will be wearing his carpenter jeans with his hammer and hard hat.

Megan may not be up for much trick-or-treating though as she was up last night throwing up. She doesn't have a fever though so hopefully it will pass as quickly as it came.

Thursday afternoon I ended up running Cassie to the doctor because I suspected she had pink eye. Sure enough, upon examination, she did have it. The doc thought maybe it was starting in her other eye too so she gave her enough meds for both eyes. By Friday she definitely had it in both eyes. It is torture putting the drops in her eyes. She hates it and fights me most of the time. Only 5 more days of this. :(

Friday afternoon the kids did their pumpkin carving at school. Bascially this consists of 300 elementary kids and their parents getting packed into a gym weilding knives and other assorted weapons. We managed to get three girl's pumpkins cut up and looking gruesome. Friday evening Billy and I tackled the mess in the basement. Our basement continues to leak now that we have been having this lovely wet weather. We cleaned all the stuff off the floor and ripped out a wall. We are planning to rip out the other two walls they put in our basement as they are well soaked and have water damage from previous years as well. It was a lot of physical work but the results are so nice.

Saturday we didn't do anything but spend time as a family. Nickelodeon ran the three Halloween Town movies back to back so we spent much of our day watching those. We carved our pumpkins we had gotten on our trip to the pumpkin patch too.

Steve's Word Of The Day: sacrosanct

Giggles

I am in one of those moods today, the kind that makes everything silly and nothing is too be taken seriously. You will find a lot of these -LOL- on things I post. So I apologize ahead of time for the lame jokes and sick sense of humor that I may inflict on you today.

Did you know today is NATIONAL CHOCOLATE DAY!? Wooohooo! That is my kind of holiday! Especially with PMS just around the corner! So everybody celebrate today and give chocolate to the one you love and/or a complete stranger! Who doesn't love chocolate?!



I awoke several times last night to the sound of thunder and pouring rain. This is the end of October correct? Sheesh! I awoke at 1:45 a.m. just as the power in the house shut off and turned on again. I had to go hunting for a clock so I could reset my alarm clock. I managed to set the time but not the alarm. DUH! So several hours later, in my sleep, I realized this. This caused me to wake about every half an hour to make sure it wasn't time to get up. OY! I finally woke at 5:50, exactly what time I get up each morning and went downstairs to exercise. I was just into the stretching/warm up segment when our dish t.v. informed me it had lost the satellite but would be back shortly. It resumed itself right after the aerobic section and the beginning of the weightlifiting. LOL I finished my exercise and hit the showers.

I got the kids off to school in the rain. It hadn't let up one little bit since the wee hours. On the way to school I had to drive 45 because I couldn't see the road and heaven forbid a semi pass me! My van got a bath each time one roared past. Billy left for work after I got home and called on his cell a few minutes later. Apparently there was a big accident on the highway he takes to Brookings. A semi truck full of pigs had flipped in the ditch and the top had come open (ripped or door, I am not sure) He said as he drove by the pigs were out wallowing in the mud puddles in the ditch while the ambulance attended to the driver. I bet that was quite a sight!


These are great! Check out Internet Bumper Stickers! You can expect to see them popping up on my blog!

Tomorrow I am off to view our new Walmart! I can't wait to get in there and see all the STUFF! Billy said it is going to take us two hours to get through the store now. LOL Oh the shopping I can do! :)



Cassie has her halloween party at school today. The other girls have to wait until tomorrow. I finished off Cassie's costume last night. We still need to get makeup for them but otherwise I think they are ready for trick-or-treating. :) I am looking forward to all the candy I get to eat! he he he



Book I am currently reading: Ramona The Brave by Beverly Cleary

Steve's Word Of The Day: salacious

Pick, pick, pick

Why do the little things in life seem to get at me more so now that I am older? You know how you would do something stupid as a kid/teenager but could easily blow it off and laugh at yourself? Now as an adult that stupid event seems to lodge itself in the path between my short term memory and my garbage can so I keep replaying my stupidity over and over. As if the first experience with my own stupidity wasn't enough! If this is a part of getting older, I quit!

I ordered myself a recorder and book through the kids' book orders a few weeks ago and it arrived yesterday. I played the recorder briefly in 3rd grade before my parents moved us again. I really enjoyed it and went on to play the clarinet in middle school. I decided since this one was only 6 bucks, I would give it a try. The book that came with it is awesome. It teaches you all the notes and has quite a few songs in it. After just one afternoon of playing I already have brushed up on the notes and can play a few kid songs. I am looking forward to learning some of the more difficult notes and learning the harder songs. I think the kids and my husband think I have cracked! LOL

My husband is going to be famous yet! I nominated him for a Dr. Phil show a few weeks ago and they emailed me back and asked for more information. I have yet to hear back since sending the "more" info. (That was my big secret the other day I just had to tell!) I had not planned on telling anyone but I am such a wimp at keeping exciting stuff to myself. So, Uncle Steve, you can shout it from the rooftops now if you want. Hopefully they will email me soon, either way. And today I got a call from Billy's sister. She nominated him for a segment on our local news channel called "Someone You Should Know". She said they are going to be giving him a call about the upcoming art show and the work he has done for the olympics past and present. LOL I think he is secretly loving the attention even though you couldn't get him to admit it for any amount of money. ;)

My brother's girlfriend is due with their second baby girl here in just a month. I haven't heard from them in awhile and have been wondering how things are going for them. They are planning to spend thanksgiving here if she doesn't have the baby around then.

I made an appointment with my doctor for my annual torture today. Fortunately or unfortunately I get to stew about it until December because that is when it is scheduled for. Someday they are going to find a way to do this without requiring us women to get buck naked and crawl up on a table with our legs spread for the entire world to see, right?

Steve's Word Of The Day: Chattel

Well, I better get going. I still have laundry calling my name. TTFN!

Who knew?

This is the description that is on the FHC website about me and the classes I taught:

"Creating a Family Website

Jodi Sides, Internet Researcher, Computer Expert

Families have found a new way to share genealogy, calendar family events, share the latest pictures of the kids or the family vacation, swap recipes, you name it! You will learn how to get started setting up a family website, where to find free space and how to get information up on the site."

"Online Library Resources

Jodi Sides, Computer Whiz & Researcher

Many of the world’s largest libraries can now be accessed, either through indexing or as a way to order actual documents, through the internet. We will learn how to navigate large holdings and learn where different records are housed."

Who knew I was a Computer Expert and Computer Whiz? Why didn't anybody tell me? I could have been doing so much more with myself! LOL

Classes and Clue

Happy Monday everyone! I had a very fulfilling weekend! How was yours?

Saturday we were up and at em by 5 a.m. I had the Family History Conference to teach so we had to be in Sioux Falls by 8 a.m. We got everyone up and dressed and out the door on time. I got to the FHC center just a little after 8 and just a few of the directors/teachers were there. I assisted people as they started coming in the door and I answered questions. Shortly after 9 a.m. the conference got started. The room was packed! (After we did a head count we figured there were over 200 people in attendance.) My first presentation wasn't until 10 a.m. so I watched the first presentation before mine. I always learn so much from the other presenters. I love it!

My first class was on how to make a family webpage. I really enjoy making webpages so this was an easy class for me. I had probably 30 or so people in attendance. My second class was immediately after the first. It was about Online Library Resources. I had a full class of 50 or so people for this class (the largest group in any class yesterday!). It went well although I felt a little less prepared for it as this is not an area I have much experience in. In the end the class went well though. During lunch three people came up and asked me questions. One was the gentleman who sent me the email I posted in my blog a few weeks back. Another was a gentleman who was in one of my classes last year. He is 73 years old and because of my teachings last year he finally sat down and created a webpage. He gave me the address to go look at it and I must say I was incredibly impressed. He did an awesome job. The third person was a gal who I had also worked with some last year. She was looking for some specific family members and has hit a brick wall. Hopefully I was able to give her some good ideas. :)

I got done teaching at a little after 1. Billy came and got me then. He had spent the morning at his sister's in Sioux Falls. We came home then despite everyone's efforts to get us to stay. I was tired and so were the kids. We came home and relaxed and goofed around. We sang some karaoke too. It was so nice to have Billy around for a change. :)

Sunday we took the kids off to Sunday school and then we all just played. We played Clue and Pictionary with the kids and I made brownies. YUM! We rented Scooby Doo 2 on PPV too. I must say it was a better movie than I expected it too be. It was cheesy but at least I enjoyed it. Scooby was the best part of the whole thing! We spent the rest of the day just doing family things until after dinner when Billy went to help Bob. He left around 7:30 and actually came home by 9. I was shocked he didn't stay all night. Maybe he is remembering how much fun we are eh? LOL

Today it is back to the usual. I have to get the finishing touches on the girls halloween costumes and get the laundry done. We got school pictures back on Friday so I am hoping to get them scanned in and up on the kids webpages. I also had 5 auctions end on ebay last night so I need to get the stuff ready to ship. Billy made over 100.00 dollars on his Greece stuff. Not bad. He kept some of his things even so imagine how much he could have gotten if he sold it all. I am just glad I won't have it all cluttering my house. :)

I am working on my novel ideas and will hopefully be ready to start on Nov 1. They said it is okay to have a plot line, outline, notes, etc. I always get the novel started and then lose interest so I am going to try a plot line and see if I can keep it going that way. OOOOO the pressure! ;)

Steve's Word Of The Day: kibitz
Have a great day everyone!

I don't wanna

Ugh! Tomorrow is the FHC and I still don't have my stuff done. I just don't wanna and you can't make me! :P

I have been doing some spring cleaning. (Yes, I am aware it is not spring.) My house was starting to get that cluttered feel. I decided to was time to put everything in its place and dump the junk that is just collecting dirt. So the cupboards in the mudroom are cleaned and void of junk and the upstairs has been cleaned up, rearranged and is just waiting for a good vacuum. Downstairs is usually pretty organized but I did put away a few loose things and now need to vacuum. I just put in the last load of dishes/pots and pans (the 4th of the day!) and have one load of laundry left. Not too bad for a housewife who sits and watches t.v. all day. :P

Not much else, sorry for all the dribble today. TTFN!

Steve's Word Of The Day: trill

Collection Obsession

I really like penguins. I think they are the cutest little things. I have begun to see them popping up on greeting cards, cartoons, knick knacks, etc. I would like to buy myself some but I have this dreaded family affliction. It is called a "collection". In most families a collection means a few items similar in some way that were purposely bought for the enjoyment of the owner. In my family it is not a collection it is an obsession.

You see, when I was about 16 I had a fondness for teddy bears. They were cute. I started buying bear stickers, stuffed bears, and other bear paraphanalia. I had a modest "collection". Then my mom got wind of my "collection." In the next 2 years I had accumulated every single bear, teddy bear, or anything resembling a teddy bear. When I got married I had (at last count) over 300 bears and half of them were the stuffed kind. You can imagine the difficulty Billy and I had stuffing 150 stuffed bears into our little bitty student family housing apartment. Even though I was now married and an "adult" the bears continued to find their way to my house. Despite my pleas for less, I got more. After three apartments and the possibility of a fourth coming soon, we decided to ditch the bears. We, being me and my husband. At this point they were no longer my "collection", they were ours. I had a rummage sale and sold all of the bears one by one for 25 cents. I even gave some to the little kids admiring them.

Shortly therafter my mom found out. She was appalled, angry, disappointed, and enraged. "Do you know how much of my money went into all those bears!?" she yelled. I could well imagine. I didn't respond out loud but in my head I was screaming, "So send me money instead of bears!"

So now here I am contemplating starting a new collection obsession. Do I dare make the plunge? Is there a way to buy some and not tell anyone I have started this new obsession? My mom will never be allowed in my house again for fear that she will see I have two or three items of the same species sitting on a shelf! Heaven help me!

Criteria for a Husband

Criteria for a first husband:
1. Attractive
2. Gives me butterflies in my tummy when he kisses me

Criteria for a second husband:
1. MUST do dishes
2. MUST change stinky diapers
3. MUST take out the trash WITHOUT being reminded
4. MUST work 8-5 and no more
5. MUST vacuum, dust, and scrub toilets
6. MUST do laundry
7. MUST take care of all outside chores, regularly
8. MUST not want sex but once a month
9. MUST be able to fix ANYTHING at ANY time
10. MUST cook

Dribble

I seem to be at a constant loss of words of late. I am tired of posting the boring dribble that happens in my daily life and have been unable to pull any new or enlightening bs out of my usually verbose mouth. Can this be a good thing? I think not! So here comes the dribble....

My sister called the other day to let me know they won't be coming for Thanksgiving. Apparently she was unable to get the days off. So now we will be all alone for Thanksgiving unless my brother's girlfriend gives birth early or late. Oh the saga! ;)

My sister-in-law is making her first attempt at breastfeeding (her fourth child) and is not having an easy time with it. She has been having problems from day one and in my opinion, is not getting the help she needs from her doctor. I know many of my readers are unaware the pain that can come with breastfeeding but I assure you it can be bad! I successfully breastfed all four of my kids but it was not all peaches and cream, if you know what I mean. (Hey that rhymed!). So anyway last night I went on an internet search to see if I could find anything that may give her some help. Every article I ran into suggested the symptoms she was having screamed fungal infection (yeast infection)! I called her and told her to call her doctor and demand he give her some medicine. If he won't, I found out it is for sale otc now so hopefully she will have some relief very soon. I don't understand doctors like him who do not want to give out medicine but rather make his patients suffer. That is just soooo not fair.

I sold another item on ebay. I have found this rather rewarding because then I can use that money to turn around and buy things! I bought Mr. Bill a Litte People Farm and he is loving it. I wanted to get it for his birthday but Walmart didn't have any then. I see they are on the shelves now, in time for Christmas. I have bought a few things for myself on ebay as well. I figure it is payment for all the work I have been doing getting this stuff sold. :)

Last night we went to Godfather's Pizza again. Their buffet is just soooo yummy! I love the taco pizza and since I can't ever order one at home (as noone else in my family will eat it) I get to eat all of it I want at the buffet! Shortly after we sat down and started eating the entire Brookings HS football team came in. The manager shouted back to the cooks, "Triple your production!" LOL The first four guys in line cleared out the buffet and the next four cleared out the chicken, taters, and corn. The employees did really well at keeping up with 30+ teenage boys though.

On the way home Megan was trying to untie a knot in her shoelace and was using her teeth. In the process of pulling out the knot she also pulled out her loose tooth. Why do these darn teeth always fall out at the most inconveinent times? Since the tooth fairy had nothing smaller than a 10.00 bill, Megan got the 10.00 bill! LOL She was rather excited to say the least. Becca is a tad jealous so I figure I will give her ten dollars when we take Megan shopping with hers. Cassie has 10.00 from her birthday too. Oh a-shopping we will go!

We just finished girl scout nut sales today. My girls sold a whopping 662.00 worth of nuts. Do you know how much of it they get to use? A very pathetic 67.00! I am so disappointed in Girl Scouts. That was not even worth the effort. I could have asked each parent to donate 20.00 and we would have made more than we did selling nuts. Phoooey!

I signed myself up for this write a novel thingy. It sounds like a very laid back contest. You don't win anything (except a certificate if you actually write 50,000 words) but it is the challenge of writing that many words that I am looking forward too. Plus it requires you write something everyday. I have many ideas on my plate right now. It is a good thing I have a week or so yet to decide.

Steve's Word Of The Day: turgid

Well, I have a life to live and and ebay website shouting my name! TTFN!

Steve's Word Of The Day: Pother

Uncle Steve have you seen this? http://www.blogger.com/knowledge/2004/10/blogging-your-novel-part-one.pyra I think you should give it a try. I may even throw my hat in the ring. What fun! :)

KAAAABBBBLLLLOOOOEEEYYYY

I have a secret and I am dying to tell!

Who can I tell?! Maybe I will have to email Uncle Steve and spill the beans before I explode from the pressure!

More Lists....

I really have nothing to say today. My exciting repertoire of verbal abuse has ceased for the day. I am sure some of you are clapping, and some of you are (I hope) crying. Either way I decided to list some facts about me to fill in this big ole' empty space on my blog.

1. I was born in South Dakota
2. In high school we were the Hot Springs Bison!
3. I am only 5'5.
4. My desk is the second messiest place in my house.
5. I am a control freak.
6. I love to be in front of an audience!
7. I don't eat much meat.
8. I will probably vote for John Kerry for President this year.
9. I secretly want to be a surrogate mom someday.
10. I graduated college with a 3.75 gpa.
11. I love to read anything-books, cereal boxes, signs, etc.
12. I don't like potato chips.
13. I am a leo.
14. I have two sisters, one younger, one older, and one younger brother.
15. I have lived in SD, WY, HI, AK, OR, CA, and CO. The first 6 before I was 12.
16. I love to take pictures of my kids.
17. I am a licensed foster parent.
18. I hate doing the dishes.
19. I love to watch HGTV and DIY.
20. I also love to watch CSI.
21. I do not like to watch movies, either at home or the theater.
22. I have been married for 11 years.
23. I ran track in middle and high school.
24. I can sew.
25. I have a college degree.
26. I have been pregnant five times, given birth four times, and I have five kids.
27. I was born on July 27, 1974.
28. I love warm weather, hate cold.
29. Someday I want to move to Arizona or Hawaii.
30. I have never drank alcohol in any form in my entire life.
31. I can never spell fortunately or definitely right on the first try.
32. I like to play computer and/or playstation games.
33. I like to design webpages.
34. I was a mormon in a former life.
35. I am uncomfortable in bars.
36. I watched Revenge of the Nerds a million times when it came out.
37. I watched Romancing the Stone almost as many times.
38. I tried out to be a cheerleader once, and failed.
39. I have never held a job longer than four months.
40. I have never been out of the United States.
41. I never pay cash for anything, checks are the way to go baby!
42. Addictive personalities run in my family.
43. I am not on antidepressants.
44. I have mommybrain.
45. I haven't taken a bath since I was pregnant with Mr. Bill.
46. I paid 15,900.00 for my house in 2002. It will be paid off in 2008.
47. I own three pair of jeans.
48. My bedroom is all white including the linens on my bed.
49. I got detention only once in my entire school career.
50. I am done with this list!

Steve's Word Of The Day: Maxim

Welcome to Monday

Must God slap me in the face with a Monday every seven days? Can't we just vote to get rid of Mondays altogether. Ugh! ;)

Steve's Word Of The Day: bloc

This weekend was a good one. Saturday we went into town for the Shape Up program. They taught us about nutrition and trying to eat healthier. I knew all but one thing they told us. I guess that is what happens when you have a degree in FCSE. The lady teaching the class has the same degree as me. LOL Billy said he was sitting there the whole time thinking I could teach the class.

It was a rowdy group of people and kids. I would guess there were 50 or so people and kids present. They took the kids to play games and we went to a classroom. Then we got to cook three lowfat dishes and taste them. We made fruit salad with yogurt on top, beef casserole (which was not a casserole but a meal like hamburger helper), and a pumpkin pie that we never got to eat because it had to bake for 45 minutes.

After the Shape Up activity we had intended to go to the pumpkin patch but Kristina had called and left a message on my phone saying they had just left and would be there in about 2 hours. So we drove around looking at houses and plots of land to see if there were any we would like to buy. After about an hour we went to Walmart and got some lunch. We sat in the parking lot waiting for Kristina and family to show. Once they got there we headed off to the pumpkin patch. We were very disappointed this year as they just had one little area of pumpkins and no big pile of them for me to take pictures on. They did have gigantic pumpkins there though. One had its weight written on it with a sharpie. It weighed 710 lbs. YIKES! I took some pics of the kids and us on the larger pumpkin. Maybe it will make a good Christmas card?



We left the pumpkin patch then and came home to do Cassie's birthday. I made her cake and decorated the house. Kristina and gang came home with us to celebrate with Cassie. I got to hold their new baby Channelle. She is such a cutie and soooo good. She didn't cry once while she was here. I got to hold her for a few minutes. I love that warm cuddly baby feel. They are just so content to curl up on you and go to sleep. And they are soooo warm. Mmmmmmmmm.

Once Cassie's cake was done, we sang happy birthday, blew out the candles, and she opened her presents. We gave her two stuffed care bears, a care bear game, a tea party set, and a kitty locket. She had a good time playing with her cousins and all her new toys. It is so hard to believe she is 5 now.



Sunday was a lazy day for us. The girls went off to Sunday School and then we spent most of the morning just hanging out. Billy went in to Brookings to set up the rest of the art show. He still is not home this morning again. I don't know how he can stay up 36 hours at a time. I would be absolutely dragging by now. I am sure he intends to work all day today and then come home. I got sick shortly before Billy left yesterday. I don't know if it was something I ate or if it is a virus but I was in the bathroom most of the evening. I still don't feel well today. I hope it goes away soon. Blah!

This weekend I have the Family History Conference to teach at. I am excited and nervous all at the same time. I love to teach but I get so nervous while I am preparing the lessons. I guess at least I get it all out of my system before I have to get up in front of people. This year I am extra nervous because I have to teach a class I really don't know much about. I have all this week to get my stuff together though. I am confident it will be a good class, come saturday. :)

Well, I better get so I can spend some time with the two kiddos I have at home today. TTFN!

Too early

It is 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning and I am up, showered, and dressed! Why you ask?

For two reasons: 1. I couldn't sleep as my dh has been at work all night. Yes, all night. He left at 7:30 a.m. Friday morning and has been there since. 2. We have a Shape Up: Family Style activity to attend today. This is a program that is run by SDSU in an attempt to get families eating better and getting them active. I signed us up because I thought it would be fun to schedule some quality time as a family.

During one of my many awakeness periods last night I realized something. Dr. Phil always talks about how as parents, we need to be plugged into our families and kids. While I was stewing about that fact that my husband is as unplugged as a father can get, I realized I too have become unplugged. I have felt something amiss for several weeks now but I just couldn't seem to stop the slide. Now I realize what Billy and I are doing to and for our kids is a pathetic attempt at parenting. So today I woke with a new plan of attack. I am going to get plugged in and enjoy my kids and try to stop stressing over the fact that my dh is never home. I obviously can't control his behavior (and quite frankly I am tired of treating him like a 13 year old). So today I will listen when my kids speak, I will not sit at the computer all day and they will not watch t.v. all day, I will play games with my kids, cook with my kids, and try my damnedest to be there. Don't get me wrong, I still need mommy time but I will squeeze that in for an hour or two at the most during the daytime when Mr. Bill is napping and the girls are at school or in the a.m. when I am the only awake person in the house. I have really awesome kids! They are well behaved, well mannered, polite, nice, and they truly care about each other and their parents. It is time I reward them for being so good. :)

I wonder if this doesn't bother me so much because as a child, my dad was always at work too. You see when we lived in Alaska he got a job that required him to go to the most northern parts of Alaska for 6 weeks at a time. He would come home for what my mom says was two or three weeks but I don't remember how long he was home. I was 8 when he first took that job. He worked there until my parents divorced when I was 11. I remember how stressed my mom was and how quick her temper was. I can really understand now because it is hard to be a single parent all of the time. I don't want my kids to grow up not knowing their father or not really knowing him. And I don't want them to grow up remembering me being stressed and angry all the time.


Steve how did you manage to stay sane when Ruthie was always getting called off to work? Maybe it is different because Billy doesn't have to be at work, he chooses to be at work. I would love your insight!

Well, I best get these kiddos up and at em. We have to be in Brookings by 9 a.m. for the Shape Up event.

Sprinkles and Regression

Sprinkles.... What a wonderful invention. You know the old saying, a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down? I have found a better solution, SPRINKLES! I kid you not! Put sprinkles on even the most disgusting foods and your kids will eat them. The best kind are the shaped holiday sprinkles. I am currently stocking up on halloween sprinkles shaped like bats, pumpkins, and leaves.

Regression.... Not wonderful at all. Marea is slipping fast the last two days. I hate these times. You see, her life is a roller coaster. For awhile we can be gliding along smoothly and then suddenly take a sharp uphill turn and other times it can be a downhill turn and right now we are definitely moving down. My job is to try and prevent the crash that can happen at the bottom. This morning Marea came downstairs to get her shoes on and happened to see the candy laying by the t.v. that Billy had bought for Cassie last night. Becca came down seconds after Marea and saw her moving the candy to a "hiding" place so that she could eat it later. Becca told and Marea got a good reaming. This is something we haven't dealt with in quite awhile and it is very discouraging to deal with it again after so many months of her doing better. Many RAD kids have food issues, Marea's just happen to deal with candy and junk food. Regular food she could care less about. I am thankful for that at least. One of my friends from TLP.org has a daughter who gets so stressed about food and mealtime that she throws up every night at the dinner table. Can you imagine trying to help her heal?

Candy for breakfast....
Oh yeah, I had Cherry licorice for breakfast this morning. Last night I had a pink snowball I got at Walmart for dinner. It just hasn't been a good week eating wise. I find myself not hungry quite often lately and so I grab whatever is easiest and that is my meal. Maybe I should go buy some apples and stuff eh? LOL

Steve's Word Of The Day: interregnum

Today Cassie is celebrating her birthday at school. She took a whole box of pink snowballs for a treat to share with her class. Mmmmmm. Tomorrow we are having her party although her birthday isn't until Sunday. Kristina and Lance and their kids are coming to visit so we thought we would do the party while they are here. We are also hitting the pumpkin patch and we have a family shape up seminar too. It will be a busy busy day.

Have a peachy day ya'll!

I love...

I love my husband because... he is trying really hard to spend time with us now that I have pointed out how neglected I feel.

I love Becca because... she has a neverending enthusiasm for life and the little things in it.

I love Megan because... she is struggling with herself to make school a happy place for her and is doing quite well at it.

I love Marea because... she reminds me how well behaved all my kids are.

I love Cassie because... she is teaching me to be lovey and cuddly when it is not in my nature.

I love Mr. Bill because... he is so smooshy and cuddly and lovey that I can't help love him.


Yesterday I got a phone call from some Nielsen's Survey. They want to track what we watch on t.v. for one week. I was rather intrigued to think someone wanted to see what we were watching so I agreed. The lady read me my rights and then said for my time they would be sending me 10.00 along with the survey booklet. Getting paid to watch t.v.! Can life get any better?!

Last night we visited Godfather's Pizza in Brookings. They have the most awesome buffet on Tuesday and Wednesday nights AND kids under 12 eat free, did I mention kids under 12 eat FREE?! That makes for a very cheap dinner for us and it is all you can devour! They have chicken, mashed taters, corn, pizza of every kind, bread sticks, dessert pizza, and the whole salad bar for you to partake of. How can you pass up such a wonderful place? And the service there is awesome. I assume the manager/owner guy is always checking to make sure we are happy, if we would like a certain kind of pizza made, and how everything is. On the way out the door yesterday he saw us leaving and thanked us for stopping and asked how dinner was. I said it was great. He said come back soon. Believe me, I plan too. If you live near Brookings, you should too! Mmmmmmm!

Today I am on a cleaning spree. I stopped in here just to get caught up and then I will be off again. I have almost finished the downstairs and will be working my way upstairs. It is so nice to have all the kids gone for the day so I can get this stuff done without it getting trashed immediately following the cleaning part. :)

My cats are rather peeved at me lately. The cats had made the toilets their personal water fountains, you see. I went and bought some of those clorox toilet tablet things that you drop in the tank because our upstairs toilet has developed a mold issue of late and I was getting tired of scrubbing the mold out on a daily basis. I bought the tablets and dropped them in earlier this week. The toilets are sparkling mold-free recepticles now and I couldn't be happier. Just don't ask the cats about it. :)

I put some more of Billy's Greek clothes on ebay earlier this week and they are doing awesome so far. The auction still has 4 days to go and it is already at 20 bucks. It is funny how these auctions can go. I told Billy he better hide his valuables as I am finding this ebaying very addictive and I may start selling more and more and more. LOL He didn't laugh.

Steve's Word Of The Day: lackey

Well, I am off to finish scrubbing the house. TTFN!

Too cute

I had to wake Mr. Bill this morning so we could run the girls to school since daddy is working early all week. I went in and put his socks and pants on while he was still sleeping. He sort of, halfway woke up then so I picked him up and took him downstairs. He laid on my shoulder and pretended to be asleep. As I sat down on the couch, Cassie came over to see Mr. Bill. He opened his eyes and smiled at Cassie. Then she asked him for a kiss. He gave her a kiss and a hug. Then of course all the other girls wanted kisses and hugs. He willingly gave them and smiled at each of the girls. How cute it is too see him love his sisters.

This morning went much better than yesterday. I was actually up before the alarm went off as I was having a horrible nightmare. It makes absolutely no sense now that I am awake and have thought about it but it sure got my heart rate up while I was sleeping. I am wondering if it doesn't have something to do with my pills because it seems for a week each month I have nightmares. I am going to have to keep track and see if that could be the cause.

I ordered some books from the school's book orders last night. Becca brought them home. They usually have some good deals but this time they had quite a few things I thought the girls would really like. I bought a recorder with a music book, an animal origami set, 8 Beverly Cleary Books (she was my favorite author as a kid), and two puppy posters for the girls. They also had the whole Little House On The Prarie series but it was still a tad to spendy for me. I saw a few on ebay the other day so I may go get the set that way. I have a set that my Aunt Mary Lou gave to me when we stayed with her one summer. It was her set and is now quite old. I don't want the kids to ruin it so I figured I would buy them their own to read. I really enjoyed those books too.

Steve's Word Of The Day: hegira

Not much else noteworthy news today. I will be back!

Where's the beef?

Steve's Word Of The Day: autochthonous

I have a problem, a BIG problem. It has to do with those blogger users who start up a blogger, get everybody hooked and waiting for more, and then bail. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! You set up your account, you type in your first entry, you hook some readers, and then you come back once or twice a YEAR to update us on your life. I hate, HATE going to a blogger day in and day out and seeing the same entry from six months ago sitting there. Give me something to read for crying out loud. I know you are busy people. Cripes, I have five kids and I still find time to pop in here and update my blogger on a daily basis. It is so not fair to string us along for months at a time with no new info to read. Come on people, where's the beef?!

I have been ebayed! I sold the jacket Billy got as a part of his uniform for the olympics last night for 29.88. Not bad considering I started the auction at .99. :)

This day started off in a panic. I woke up at 6:45 and realized the alarm clock had not gone off. I had a half an hour to get me and the kids ready to walk out the door. I got up woke the girls up. I forgot I had taken down the shower curtain the night before to wash it. I quickly "propped" it up and hoped it would hold long enough for the girls to shower. I washed the girls and then they went to get dressed. Billy kindly got up then and helped the girls brush their hair while I showered, dressed, and did my hair. We were all done and ready to go 15 minutes early. Wooooohooooo!

Today is another normal, boring day at our house. I have cleaning to do, things to fix, and a life to live. TTFN!

Our Family Pic

Here is our family pic from a wedding we attended in June of this year. What a good looking family we are eh?

Making lists

1.Iron-on
2.Ripped bags
3.Yesterday's agenda
4.Today's agenda
5.Steve's word of the day
6.Making lists
7.Mommybrain overdrive

I must be getting old.... Lately if I don't make myself a list of things I need to accomplish I can't remember what I needed to do after the first thing in my mental list. So I have been confined to paper lists. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my mommybrain has been on overdrive all weekend. I couldn't speak a complete sentence without mixing up words or starting a word with the wrong sound. YIKES! At least I can type a sentence correctly still, I hope! ;)

The other day I had this brilliant idea to make an iron-on of the Cheetah Girls logo for the girl's halloween costumes. That way everyone would know who they are since the Cheetah Girls was just a Disney movie that I am sure not everyone has seen. :) So we trekked off to our local Walmart and found the iron on paper in the stationery section. We bought some paper and then went in search of an iron. Yes, I do not own and iron. Well I least I haven't for a few years. We bought one after we got married and I had it until last year when we used it as a heat gun to melt the glue under the floor tiles in the bathroom and hallway. Needless to say it got rather sticky and gooey so it got tossed. So we printed out the logo after Billy touched it up (basically created it) in photoshop and then we did a test run on the furry cheetah material. I figured it would be too hot for the fake fur and I was right it melted the stuff in seconds. We decided then that we will buy each girl a black shirt and put the logo on them. That way it will show under their costumes but not melt the furry fabric.

Our new cat, Mouse, has this annoying habit that may get her evicted from the Sides house. Everytime I buy new bags of cat litter and/or cat food she insists on ripping at the bottom of the bags until the product inside comes pouring out. This activity usually takes place at night so I wake up to see the mess she has created. This morning I woke to find cat litter all over the floor. Fortunately I have two rubbermaid type containers I put the stuff in so I poured/spilled the rest of it into a container. I guess from now on I will have to put it in the container as soon as I bring it home. Darn cat!

Yesterday we started our day getting the girls ready for Sunday School. Bob had spent Saturday evening with us and we ended up sitting up and talking until 2 a.m. so we were pretty tired on Sunday morning. The girls sang and did their bell choir in church too so we got to watch them sing. Megan was dancing and having a good time. Becca looked like someone had stuck a broomstick down her spine as I don't think she moved anything but her mouth the whole time she was singing. Cassie almost cried several times and then almost knocked over the microphone stand. Marea couldn't take her eyes off her teacher the entire time she was singing. It was too cute! After church we ran off to Walmart for some essentials (like cat litter) and then came home. Billy purchased "The Dark Crystal" as it apparently was a movie he really enjoyed as a kid. After he made the Cheetah Girls logo he watched his movie. Mr. Bill watched too and was quite enthralled.

Today is Monday but it is a holiday for everyone except my husband. The girls are home all day. I intend to get outside and get my garden cleaned out now that everything has frozen and died. I also need to get the lawn mowed for hopefully the last time before winter kicks in.

Steve's Word Of The Day: Hongies

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to the dentist we go.....

It is friday! Woooohooooo!

Steve's Word Of The Day: Hominization

We are off to the dentist here in a few so I thought I would get in here early. All four girls get to visit the dentist this a.m. and get a thorough cleaning. The see the pediatric dentist in Sioux Falls and they really like it. They get to watch t.v. while they are having their teeth cleaned and they get a new toothbrush, a balloon, a toy, and other misc. tooth accessories when they are done. Why is it that they don't do the same courtesy for adults? I hate Hate HATE going to the dentist! Mabye if they let me watch t.v., gave me a gift basket with stuff like bath soaps, chocolate, and candles then I would be more willing to go to my yearly checkup too!

Last night Megan had her 2nd grade open house. Since only the 2nd grader was supposed to attend with her parents, I stayed home with the other kids and Billy rushed home from work (and was only 3 minutes short of being too late to go) to take Megan. Apparently they talked about what happens in second grade and what kinds of things the kids do daily. Megan was very happy her dad got to go with her.

Yesterday when the girls got home, Marea walked in the door and started to cry. I asked her what was wrong but she would only hug my legs. She half cried, half mumbled that she had fallen down at school. Becca said she was walking to the bus and either someone tripped her or she fell but she hit her face on the sidewalk. She has the marks to prove it too. She has a nice red abrasion on her forehead above her eye and another directly under the first, right under her eye. I need to teach this girl to put her hands down to stop herself from falling. I put bandaids on them last night with some antibiotics hoping that would help but the bottom one is even redder this morning. I am rather disappointed with the school about this whole thing. Her teacher was there, so Becca says. Becca said she made sure Marea was okay and then shuffled her onto the bus. I didn't get a phone call or anything to let me know she had gotten hurt or how. Cripes! The one good thing is that is the first time since we got Marea that she turned to me when she was hurt. Usually she just cries to herself and tries to suck it up. For the first time she truly seemed hurt and wanted my attention and love. It is about time! She is very stingy with all of her emotions but that is just another symptom of RAD that we are working on.

Well, I am off to get this day going. I hope you all have an awesome, mind-boggling day!

OOOOOOHHHHH!

Looky, looky! I have been running amuck in the html editor once again and have made a few changes to my template.
If you notice, I now have a title for each post AND best of all, I added a line of links in my sidebar that show you the other blogs I frequent. Go check them out, they are from some very interesting people. :)
I also changed the color of that navigation bar that is now present at the top of each blog. Who knew html could be so much fun. Oh the possiblities. **evil giggle**

Ironically, while searching online for a publisher, I came across this:

Dictionaries:
Please send lexical submissions to our Dictionary Department at:

See, Steve's words of the day are real! :)

Steve's Word Of The Day: fugly

Okay, so I have a sick sense of humor to go along with the oddities that are me. :)

What a beautiful start to a beautiful morning. NOT! The beautiful start part is right but it is overcast, cloudy, dark, and miserable outside right now. Last night Billy worked late again so I put the kids to bed at 8 p.m. and I crashed too. Mr. Bill even went right to sleep. I awoke at 5 a.m. to the sound of my alarm clock. I got up, exercised, and showered. I got the girls up and off to school. When I got home at 8 Billy and Mr. Bill were still sound asleep. Billy just left for work a little while ago and Mr. Bill is still sleeping. What a glorious sound silence is!

Tomorrow the girls all have dentist appointments so I am off to Sioux Falls with them. They get to skip a whole day of school because of it. And they have Monday off for Columbus Day or Native American Day depending on where you live. So we have a three day weekend. What fun!

I took my own advice and listed some of Billy's Olympic gear on ebay. So far we only have one bid. Billy is getting really nervous as I think he thought he was going to get a lot out of it. I told him it is just a matter of who is searching at the time of the auction. We shall see.

I am working on a kids book now. I have decided to give it a try and see if I can get one published. Billy has agreed to draw the pictures so I figure with his drawings and my writing we should be able to get some attention. Wish us luck, oh and if you know of any good publishers feel free to clue us in! LOL

Have a great day!

Steve's Word Of The Day: Lexical

I am an odd person, yes it is true.

The older I get and the more I get to actually know myself, the more I realize I have a lot of quirks about me. I am not sure where they come from or how I got them, but they are there nonetheless. For example, I don't usually allow myself to laugh. I used to think it took a lot to make me laugh but the other day I was reading another blogger and I found myself wanting to laugh but holding it back. Why, you ask? Well I don't know. As I read more of this blogger it kept happening. I would find something funny but wouldn't let myself laugh. I decided then to laugh when I wanted to. I have thought about why this may have come about but honestly I don't know when I stopped laughing. I told you I am an odd person. :)

Do blondes have more fun?

Okay, I am really mystified here. Megan, my second oldest child, who is now 7 has the most beautiful blond hair you have ever seen. She is a beautiful little girl and is very smart. She does well in school and seems to enjoy it. But, yes here comes the but, she seems to live in her own little world. Yesterday the girls had girl scouts so I told them I would pick them up at the school. I waited by the door they come out of and Megan, seemingly unaware of her surroundings, zoomed right past me and headed for the bus. Not a big deal, I know. But she is also oblivious to much of what is going on in her world. Many times she will ask us about something we were just talking about or she will see something that we all observed just minutes before. It is like she is in slow motion. I don't know if this is a blond thing but so far she is the only one of my kids exhibiting this trait. Maybe she is just odd like me? ;)

Yesterday was another day at the Sides' Household. The kids did school, then girl scouts, and then we came home and did homework and in the midst of homework our old neighbor came over. She is the one who stays until we almost throw her out the door. Last night she left at 11 p.m. so forgive me if I am dragging a little here today. Billy left at 6 to go help Bob work on his house again. I told him he would be home by 10 p.m. and not one minute later. I told him if he showed at 10:01 he would not be allowed to go to Bob's for a whole month. Amazingly enough, he showed up at 9:58. Who knew treating your husband like a kid would work so well?! So Bob and Billy decided they would work on his house every Tuesday. I will have to consult the calendar to see if that is going to work for me. ;)

The girls are gearing up for Christmas already. I have been given several lists of things they want and/or need for gifts. This year I am going to try to get some things that are more practical than toys. Becca and Megan would really like a CD player so I am giving that some thought. Of course they would also like their own phone, t.v., computer, etc. Like that is ever going to happen in my house. :)

Cassie's Birthday is on the 17th of this month so we are getting ready for that. She is excited to have a party and all the stuff that goes with it. It is hard to believe she is turning five already. She is growing up way too fast.

Well, I am off to get this day started. Have a great one ya'll!

Steve's Word Of The Day: Frowzy
Try that one on for size Steve-0!

My horoscope yesterday said this: Well, you sat on the fence so long that it broke. At least now you know which side you are on.

I find that extremely amusing because if you know me very well, you know I am very good at sitting back and listening to others opinions and thoughts before I form my own ideas. I can't think of anything I am "sitting on the fence" on right now but I sure laughed when I read that! :)

When I was a little girl I remember many times telling my mom I was going to rescue all the kids in the world and help them to feel loved and cared for. My mom would smile and nod. I think she thought I was nuts.

We took in our first foster kids in 2000. We got a call from the social worker informing us they had two kids, siblings, who had been taken from their mom for abuse and neglect. For the sake of anonimity I will call them C and J. C was a 3 year old girl. J. was an almost 2 year old boy. Their mom would be doing some treatment and the kids could be with us for "awhile". The social worker drove up one chilly spring morning with the two little kids. They were the cutest little things and seemed so happy despite what had been happening in their lives in the last 24 hours. C and J came in and the social worker and I went over the paperwork. Once we were done she said good bye and there I stood with two new children in my care. We gave them a tour of the house and showed them where the bathroom was. C was potty-trained but J was still in diapers. I dug throught the stuff the social worker had brought for the kids. I had a basket full of odds and ends clothes that were either too big or mismatched for C and J as far as I could tell had only the clothes he was wearing. There were also two bottles. One for each child. That I decided would be the first thing to go.

I left the kids in Billy's capable hands and ran to Pamida to purchase the essentials needed for these kids. Fortunatley, SS sometimes gives foster parents a 100.00 voucher for clothes for kids who come into care with nothing. I used the vouchers to get both kids some new outfits, shoes, and I purchased two new, clean bottles. I got home and showed the kids their new clothes and we immediately bathed both of them and got them redressed. (The first rule we learned in foster parenting classes is to wash the kids asap upon arrival and use lice shampoo as these kids typically have lice.) I threw out most of the clothes they came with and washed what appeared to be in good shape.

C and J remained in very good spirits until dinner time. J apparently had no experience with utensils (you know, a fork and spoon) and he ate with his hands. That would be the second thing to go. C was very polite and quiet and seemed quite happy. We set up their beds after dinner. We made up a toddler bed for C and she was quite giddy over having such a pretty pink bed. She kept giggling although she never said a word. She sat on her bed while we made up a portable crib for J. He too seemed quite happy at the prospect of having his own bed although we weren't entirely sure he even understood what we were talking about.

Bedtime came and we tucked in our own kids and our two newest family members. They went down without a whimper but also had a bottle of milk. It wasn't too long before we heard the peaceful breathing of five sleeping kids.

The next morning the kids awoke still smiling and seeming to be quite content. They had breakfast and then we bathed and dressed them. C and J smiled through the whole process. We attempted teeth brushing after that. Both children seemed to have no clue what the toothbrushes were for but after watching our other kids for a few minutes they started brushing and giggling. After C. finished we discovered she had some serious teeth issues. It appeared her top four front teeth were rotten completely down to her gums. She almost had no teeth there. We assumed it was from having a bottle at bedtime for the last 3 years.

After that we let them play. C and J both adjusted to being in our home really quickly and they were quite happy most of the time. I weaned them both off a bottle within the first week by adding an ounce of water to the milk each night until the bottle was completely water. By the 4th or 5th night neither of them were drinking much of it. I threw them away on the 7th night. J slowly learned to use utensils and ate more like a child then a wild animal. C opened up and began taking and chatting with us. She had a constant giggle though. :)

We had the opportunity to meet C and J's mom on a visit once. She was in a treatment facility in Nebraska and we volunteered to take the kids to see her. By this time both C and J called me mom and it made it a little confusing when we got there and she saw her "other" mom. The "other" mom thanked me for taking away the kids bottles. She said she just couldn't do it herself. I smiled and told her she was welcome. We sat and chatted a bit but it was hard for me to believe any of the stuff I was being told. After having some family experience with drug and alcohol addiction I know these people can feed you a lot of BS.

We had a good visit and then we loaded the kids in the van. C cried for a few minutes after we left. I comforted her the best I could and reassured her we would get to see her mom again.

I took C to the dentist to see what could be done about her teeth. We had several appointments before they decided to do surgery to remove the rotten teeth and cap her first four molars. We took her to the surgery center the day of her appointment. We sat in a waiting room while the nurses readied the room. They came in and gave C some red liquid that they said would help calm her so she would willingly go into the other room without us. She drank it and in a few short minutes she was unable to sit up straight. I suggested to Billy that he hold her before she fell over. It was just after he grabbed her that her head swayed and then rested on his shoulder. She was beyond calm, she looked drugged! The nurse came in to get her shortly after that. They had a wagon that they wanted C to get into so they could wheel her into the other room but she was not able to sit up in any fashion. The nurse decided to just carry her in the other room. Billy handed her off and they left. A couple of hours later they came in and told me she was awake. I went in to find a little girl crying and drooling blood all over the towel the nurse was holding to her mouth. I sat down and the nurse put her in my lap. She snuggled up and relaxed then. I rocked her and we sat and waited for her to fully wake up before we could go. In a matter of minutes after completely waking up C was our happy giggly girl again. The nurse gave her a stuffed animal and we left. We decided to stop at the mall and get something to eat since we were all starving. We got C some chicken noodle soup assuming her mouth would be sore. To our surprise she started chewing on the plastic spoon. We decided either it felt really good not to have those rotten teeth in her mouth or she was still numb. LOL

The months passed quickly. We celebrated J's 2nd birthday and C's 4th. We celebrated Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter before C and J's mom finally lost all control. Treatment did nothing for her and so finally the dad stepped forward to take the kids. SS gave him the usual list of items the parents are required to do to get the kids back. He completed them in a few short weeks and our social worker informed us that the kids would be going home.

It was a tough day for all of us as we packed up the kid's things and got them ready to go. They had gone for an overnight visit the weekend before so they would be "ready" to go. I think they thought they were going for another visit and would be back. We took some pictures and we said good bye. I waved as the van drove away. I walked back into the house and felt a very large emptiness there. C and J lived with us for over 9 months. They went from shy timid and somewhat unhealthy kids to happy, fun, healthy children. I think about them often and wonder how they are doing. Perhaps someday I will get the chance to say hello again.

Aaaaahhhh, life back to normal!

It is Monday, which means it is laundry day. Too bad I don't have any laundry detergent eh? LOL

Billy came home with four times the clothes he left with and since he apparently doesn't know how to operate a washer, I am left with about 6 extra loads of clothes. YIKES! Swatch (who subcontracts with Dak, which is how Billy gets to work at the Olympics) gives the employees a whole new swatch wardrobe for the olympics so they will be in uniform. I think Billy has at least 10 shirts (t-shirts, polos, etc.), half of which he didn't even open. He has a couple of pairs of khaki (see thru) pants and a couple of pairs of shorts. He got a hat and shoes too. They even give them an official Swatch Watch. So now I have four loads of olympic clothes to wash. Half of the shirts are still in the plastic, brand new. Maybe I should auction them on ebay. What the heck are we going to do with them? :)

Cassie is off to the doctor this afternoon for her Kindergarten shots and 5-year checkup. I think she only has to get three shots but it is never fun to go through this. Only one more kid and I am done done done with baby shots!

We went and saw my new niece Channelle Kathleen on Saturday. I would post some pictures of her but my mommybrain left the camera sitting on my desk. I also forgot to give Marea her medicine. I think the latter was the bigger mistake. :) We arrived in Huron at about noon. We went directly to the hospital and saw Kristina and Channelle. She is a big baby, weighing in at 9lbs 4oz! She has the cheeks to prove it too. You can see her pic on the hospital webpage. (The blanket and outfit she is wearing is the one WE brought for her. He he he.) The girls all got to hold her and so did Billy and I. I must say I left that hospital 100% sure we are done having kids. I don't want to be the new mommy anymore. We stopped at Kristina and Lance's house to visit with Karen (my MIL). We spent a couple of hours there and then we skedaddled so they all could go see the baby again.

We got home around 8 or so and we just spent the evening being lazy. Sunday we got up and got everyone ready for Sunday School. Billy and I picked the girls up afterwards and then attended the church services. I am a little (okay, A LOT) leery of the Lutheran church but we will give it a shot. The girls are enjoying sunday school so that is a plus either way. Everyone was very nice to us at church and seemed happy to see us. It was nice to meet many of the people who live right around us that we don't know very well. Everybody knew who we were already. Aaah, the joys of a small town. :)

This week promises to be a busy one at the Sides' household. We have a couple of doctor appointments and a dentist appointment for the girls. Welcome to the Sides' Family Chaos! ;)

Steve's Word Of The Day: flense

What the hell is wrong with men!??

We are on day number two and already two of my husband's male friends have called and "invited" him off somewhere. Saturday he is off to play paintball for who knows how long, and this morning Bob calls and takes off with my husband, for most likely, the entire day!

Okay, I get it, he is home and his friends want to spend time with. Yeah! I get it believe me, I GET IT! But, for crying out loud, he has a wife and five kids who have not seen him for 20 days. As a guy, do you not stop and think, Gee mabye I should let him spend some time with his family before I try to run off with him? I don't get it. As a woman that is exactly what I think. I would not dream of calling someone in this situation and asking them to come spend the day with me. Do you hear any of my friends calling and saying hey, let's go somewhere for the entire day? NO, YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE THEY GET IT! So again I ask you, what the hell is wrong with men? I just don't get it.

And what is up with this, he walks off the airplane and hugs all of the kids and despite my efforts to squeeze in for a hug, he never hugs ME! Okay, I am hoping it is an effort to keep from crying because he missed me so much right? As a woman, that is what I would be doing. As a man, is he saying, "I don't need you" or what?! Well, I have news for you buddy, while you were gone I realized I don't NEED you either. I am perfectly capable of taking care of a house, myself, five kids, and everything else you left in my lap for the last 20 days. But I also realized I do WANT you. I don't want to take care of all of this by myself. I like having a partner, friend, and co-hort in all of this. So WHY THE HELL ARE YOU BLOWING ME OFF!? Maybe I am just having some more wishful thinking. When we were younger and he left for business trips he would come home and want to spend every possible minute with me. This time around he just doesn't seem to care. I go to school to pick up the kids and he would rather "just stay here". Did my husband stay in Greece and someone jokingly sent me this guy who could give a rip about his family?

What the hell is wrong with men! Is it any wonder why woman are lesbians?!

Jodi's Horoscope for today:
This is neither a soapbox nor a pulpit. Put down that gavel and let another speak.

LOL! I guess I should have read that before I posted the above this morning eh? My day is still going about the same. Every little thing makes my brain scream at me. I have been arguing with myself all day. I should have mentioned PMS in the above post but I don't know how much of what I am dealing with is PMS and how much is my just my life. Sheeesssh!

My SIL and BIL called this morning to let us know that they had a baby girl this morning. She weighed 9lbs 4oz and was 20in long. Lots of hair but still haven't decided on the name. We are going to see her and them tomorrow. I love holding those little babies. I am even beginning to like the fact that I can hold them and then give them back when they are screaming. ;)

Anyone watch the great "debate" last night? I didn't. I am not into politics but I find out enough to decide who I am going to vote for. Personally, I don't care to see Bush and Kerry duking it out. I would rather read what they believe in and leave out the emotional crap. I am still very much undecided on the presidental race but I have pretty much figured out who I am voting for in the senate and house.

Steve's Word Of The Day:Cogitate