Monday Mumbles

Ten random things irking me I'm thinking about this bright but cold Monday morning. I hope you all enjoyed your weekend.


1. My boss needs to stop talking and wait to see if we can do the job first. She'll never know if she always tells us how to do it before we get a chance to breathe.

2. You should know I walked into work in a perfectly FINE mood this morning. I wasn't grumpy or anything. Five minutes here, she's got my blood boiling.

3. We spent the night at my mom's Saturday night. Things were fine until I woke up Sunday morning and retrieved OJ from her room. She informed me she'd been vomiting and puking all night long. Grrrrrrreat. Thanks. But we determined it had to be food poisoning because she exhibited no signs of flu-like symptoms. And the boys or myself haven't gotten sick. Yet. Thank goodness. Well, sorry about the poisoning, Mom, but thank goodness it wasn't anything you could spread.

4. I really like that TO is reading and spelling. It's a great step into the world of academics. It does, however, make shopping for him with him around a LOT harder. I was about to spell out to my mother something I wanted to go see in the store, and then realized....I couldn't. Damn him. I suppose texting comes in handy now.

5. I don't think orange juice should cost so much.

6. I'm slowly ticking off xmas gifts and it's exciting. I usually flounder for my parents at the last minute and then never feel satisfied with what we decided on. They're hard to buy for, admittedly. But this year they've been kind enough to at least give us a couple of ideas.

7. TO decorated a plate at school for what he's thankful for. The plate read, "I'm thankful for my mom." Seriously. He's the only child that can stay in the house forever. Oh, and he's never getting married.

8. I really wish the sick feelings would go away. Night time is becoming a dreaded clock tick away.

9. I need to work. I have nothing more to say. Except I think I'd like some hot cocoa.

10. Today is going to be a very, very long day. It's a shame it started out so nicely, too.

Special for Allyson

Psssst - send me an email with your personal account so that I can chat with you. :) The email I have listed for the blog is not the same one I have my google account with. Confusing, I know. Don't ask. Just email.

Happy Sunday!

Sunday Goodness

I think I'd like to start wrapping up my week on Sunday with some thankful words. I know, I know, Sunday is the START of the week....not the end. Although, if He "rested" on this day at the end of creating, why WOULDN'T this be the end of the week? Whomever decided to switch it up went against the will of the world, if you ask me. Not that I really KNOW what the will of the world is....besides spite. Speaking of....

1. When my college football team decided to play well, they STILL lost. To their rival. Ugh. At least the game was close and kept the rival fans peeing their pants for most of the game. I'll take solace in that. I'm thankful for exciting sports.

2. OJ can't move from one room to another just by walking. Oh no. He struts. He dances. When he's angry and crying, he'll crawl and scoot until he thinks someone will pick him up. I can't recall the last time I saw him just WALK. I'm thankful for attitude and personality.

3. TO suddenly decided to get itchy eyes and nose and bumps around his eyes. This happened at my mother's house. Who knows what caused this latest round of allergic reaction, but it was cleared up in an instant with the aid of pink. I'm thankful for Benedryl.

4. It's a crazy phenomenon, being pregnant. Every time, I've found that I experience an overwhelming need to cleanse. Not the regular ol' "nesting" that goes on. No no. I feel the need to rid myself of any unnecessary clutter and crap that makes up everyday life. That usually includes the (pardon my language) bullshit that is involved in everyday dealings. If someone has been taking advantage at work and been too forward in their opinions, I will feel the NEED to explain how they can kindly shut up. And it feels good. Today, it wasn't anything so harsh. I simply cut out Facebook friends who asked to be my friend and never said a word to me. Ever. Never commented on my photos, my status, or even sent a personal message saying, "Hi, how are you?" And it felt goooooood. I'm thankful for the no-nonsense attitude that growing aliens gives me.

5. My dad watched TO and OJ Thanksgiving evening and Friday while we worked. I'm thankful for him.

6. My mom had TO, OJ, and myself down to stay Saturday day and night. She cooked a roast for dinner. I'm thankful for her.

7. Hubs bought me my most favorite breakfast treat Saturday morning, a chocolate croissant from Munchers bakery in Lawrence. I'm thankful they still make them. Oh, and I'm thankful he thought of me and bought me one.

Happy Friday - Award Love

I've got nothing to say today. Do you? Here is an award I received from Intense Guy a bit ago...slow to post it, yes I know. If any of the answers are vague to you and you feel you deserve clarification, post it in your comments. I plan on returning often today to respond to you in the comments section. :) I feel like having a rapport today. So if any of you readers are out contributing to the mass materialism that IS today.....shame. Shame on you. I needed your company and you deserted me. Happy Friday in spite.

The rules say answer these questions using only one word and then pass the award along to 6 others. We'll see if I follow the rules.

1. Where is your cell phone? eyesight

2. Your hair? tailtothepony

3. Your mother? short

4. Your father? skinny

5. Your favorite food? pizza

6. Your dream last night? scoundrel

7. Your favorite drink? Coke

8. Your dream/goal? education

9. What room are you in? large

10. Your hobby? running

11. Your fear? children

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? unpregnant

13. Where were you last night? family

14. Something you aren't? dreamer

15. Muffins? chocolate

16. Wish list item? lottery

17. Where did you grow up? Kansas

18. Last thing you did? sip

19. What are you wearing? denim

20. Your TV? old

21. Your pets? new

22. Your friends? busy

23. Your life? progress

24. Your mood? sleepy

25. Missing someone? fortunate

26. Vehicle? convenient

27. Something you're not wearing? earrings

28. Your favorite store? food

29. Your favorite color? red

30. When was the last time you laughed? morning

31. Last time you cried? days

32. Your best friend? engaged

33. One place that I go over and over? Crazy

34. One person who emails me regularly? engagee

35. Favorite place to eat? Bandido

Why You Don't Tell

Michelle and I have been endlessly discussing my pregnancy (in whispers) here at work. We talk about HOW it happened, why I think it shouldn't have, and when I'll feel comfortable putting my "news" out there to the more general public. She stated that she's too excited when she finds out she's pregnant and she announces it right away. I, on the other hand, am finding out that I get more and more reserved with each pregnancy. And the following list are the reasons why.


1. The Public Belly
Everyone thinks they get to touch and rub it. Worse, they think they can talk about it. How big it is. How "out there" it is. How "quickly" it's grown. And worse, right after you announce, some people find it necessary to point out that they "thought" you were getting a bit round but just thought you were eating a lot.

2. The Woe is Her
Don't make her lift that! Put that down! Why are you carrying in the groceries??? Puh-lease. It's not like I had a heart attack, people. I just went and got knocked up. I can still carry a gallon of milk and the baby won't fall out if I carry up the small box of holiday decorations. I will, however, allow a man to carry the box of printer paper for me. So long as he's cute. Which, in my office, means I'll be doing it myself, thank you very much.

3. Gender Bender
I'm sooooooo tired of hearing this question. If you aren't happy that this growing alien might be yet another boy.....

4. Eat For Two!!!
People love to pass off others getting fat during pregnancy as the woman's inability to STOP eating for two. You know what? If I want to "eat for two" when I'm NOT pregnant, I'll do that too. Stop watching how much goes in my mouth, and start watching your own portions.

5. It's Because...."YOU KNOW"
If you get grumpy.....if you bite someone's head off....if you fall asleep early.....if you eat pickles.... Everything you do is automatically blamed on the pregnancy and the hormones. The truth?

*I'm grumpy because that's my nature.

*I bit your head off because I've been waiting to do it for months and months and months, and you finally hit the button. And since you'll blame it on the baby, I feel like I have free reign.

*I sleep now because you'll blame it on baby and damn it, you might be right. I'm growing another organ called a placenta, an entirely new human, and buckets full of blood that I'll conveniently burst out of me all in one moment. I think I'm entitled to be a little tired.

*And for the record, I always ate pickles, baby growing or no. I like the crunch.

Tuesday Trifles

The Joys of Sweaters
I can leave my pants unbuttoned and no one is the wiser. I really think we should consider making buttoning pants an optional part of getting dressed anyhow. Do you sometimes forget to do it, even if you aren't having trouble closing the seam? I do. I slide on my pants and make sure they stay up, but then go about doing whatever else it is I do in the mornings - my hair, getting TO and OJ dressed, finding my glasses, etc. I've made it to work (AFTER being at daycare and lifting and lowering kids, mind you) with my pants completely undone before. And not always with baggy sweaters to hide what's going on at the waistline. I wonder what the boys' teachers think of me some days.....

Long Days, Bathroom Stalls
Have you ever found yourself going to the restroom and just closing your eyes? Of course, stipulations must exist...no stench from the previous visitor, relatively clean surroundings, paper seats so you aren't hovering. Those are essentials. But on days when you just barely make it to the bathroom at all because your eyelids are so heavy....have you ever just sat down, done your business, and closed your eyes? I have. My head generally rests in my hands, my eyes close, and I sit very still in the quiet. It might be my only chance at quiet all day long.

Parent - Teacher Conference
TO's first conference. Well, my first conference for TO. He will most likely be at his music lesson where he's learning to be a rock-n-roll star on the accordion. Okay, okay....I'll stop. But seriously.....alright, back to the conference.

He told me, "There WILL BE some bad stuff at it....."

I asked what kinds of bad things?

He answered, "Well, there will be LOTS more good things."

Thus, he avoided answering. I asked again.

He answered, "Weeellll, sometimes when we're supposed to bring her two papers, I only bring her one. I keep forgetting."

If that's the worst I ever hear at a conference, I might just force myself to karaoke in public. Outwardly, though, I expressed to him that while that wasn't a terrible"bad thing", we do need to be sure that we understand kindergarten is also about learning directions, following steps, and doing what's asked of us if it's reasonable. There are always lessons to disperse people....my job is never done.

The Accordion Concert
Speaker of the rocker accordion dude, he played for Hubs and I the other night.

Hubs jokingly said, "Humpty Dumpty brought to you byyyyyy.....Modena!" (That is his nickname for TO. Don't ask. I don't get it.)

"Modena" promptly responded, "No Dad. It's brought to you by BudLighter. It's drinkability."

Clearly we've had too much football TV on lately. Someday we'll correct him with "weiser" versus "lighter". For now, it's endearing.

Monday Mumbles

Ten random things for you on this glorious Monday morning. Okay, it may not be glorious but it IS Monday.

1. Apparently fluoride treatments are a once a year gig. I'll need to remember that when the kids visit the dentist for the second time next year and pass on it. You know, just to avoid an extra bill.

2. My best girlfriend just got engaged over the weekend. I've been keeping the secret that he was preparing for this for over a month...maybe two now. I'm happy that it's out in the open. I'm not happy that I may not get to see her and her ring before she leaves on Thursday for a trip to Vietnam.

3. Roscoe is staying with us for at least another week. While we thought TO was having allergy issues with him, he's clearing up so it might have been a weather-induced cold and asthma attack. We're giving him some more time in the home and see if TO clears up completely.

4. OJ got a big boy hair cut this weekend too. I do it myself for now, like I did TO's, so of course I leave a bit of curl in there. :) It's short though.....definitely not quite so "I live in the jungle" out of control.

5. I've been contemplating the whole "belly shot" thing for the blog. As you may have noticed, I don't put too many pictures of myself up. In part, that's due to the fact that I'm behind the camera most times. Also, Hubs has a shaky camera hand....which doesn't bode well for us for old age eating, but that's neither here nor there. I've seen many blogs that do belly shots such justice....and I don't know if I can. The only good belly shot I have of me pregnant with TO I was wielding a very large knife, and I do believe it was pointed at Hubs. I didn't really like my picture taken then...will I now??

6. TO had a roller skating party to attend Saturday afternoon. I desperately wanted to put on a pair and skate, but the whole "pregnancy" thing held me back. Damn babies. Well, the pregnancy thing AND the fact that I had to hold TO up all the way around the rink. Over and over and over and over. He DID improve as the two hours wore on, though....enough so that taking him again isn't out of the question.

7. Every time I change OJ's diaper, he touches his privates, says "pee pee", and then shakes his finger at me and says "no no ta ta". Ta ta to mean "touch touch". If only he'd tell all the girls that when he gets older.....

8. I had that meeting with the HR rep for the "other" department here at the bank. We'll see if anything pans out from it. There aren't any openings right now, they just filled two. However...he'll keep me in mind, and we might be able to work out some meetings to discuss it further with people IN that area....maybe a job shadow experience. It's always interesting to at least THINK about something different as a possibility, especially when the norm isn't all that exciting to you anymore.

9. I really detest getting up so many times at night to pee. I know, I know....it's something that cannot be changed, but SERIOUSLY.

10. I casually mentioned to Hubs yesterday afternoon that we'd have to start thinking of names again. We have to get an early start because we NEVER agree until the last minute. I'm amazed our children aren't named It 1 and It 2. The problem with the name game? Hubs never veers from his frightful choices. You'd think he never heard me tell him no the first TWO TIMES. Oh well. I guess it's true that men will never change.

LINKED:
Allyson

Update in Photos

Here is Roscoe. I still don't think he's thrilled to be with these boys. Can you see the two fingers reaching for him on the left? OJ. Of course.
This look, to me, says "Pleeeeeease get this little person away from me."

BUT....that little person followed him all around that first weekend. Like a dog. I suppose he was trying to make him feel more at home.

TO took advantage and practiced for his future as an NFL kicker. Maybe he can be the next SeaBass? That'd be Sebastian Janikowski to you non-Raiders. Of course, he needs to add about 225 pounds...but hey...there's time.

My sis-in-law (and bro I suppose) bought this hat for TO. Now that he's outgrown, we think it looks splendid on OJ.

OJ loves to tackle TO, and TO doesn't mind. They both look slightly crazy here.

TO does a good impression of being overpowered. OJ enjoys that part of the wrestle game.

Comment Consideration

I have severely slacked on these lately. I sincerely apologize. I love receiving your comments, publishing them, and having you enjoy one another. Just recently, I had one reader get such a chuckle from another commenter that they went and visited their blog. THAT'S what I love about blogging. We can connect through words and personality and enjoy one another even if we aren't able to sit in the same room. And frankly, we don't all want to sit together in the same room, do we now? Alone, we're free to pick out our wedgies.

On with the show.....

joanofalltrades said...
No worries. We want belly pics soon!

I'm only 10 weeks along, so those photos might be a bit uneventful. I figured I'd see what 12 weeks looks like and start there if I've had enough to eat that day and it's sticking out appropriately.

mo.stoneskin said...
You always sound like your days (weeks?) are one crazy whirlwind. But you always sound relatively chirpy too, which I like!

It could be that I'm supplying too much detail in my stories, making it appear that we're on a crazy, whirlwind tour of the U.S. Midwest. But chirpy? I'll take it.

Tracy said...
Can I have a pre-marriage and post-marriage answer for fave holiday?

Hell yeah. I think we should always answer questions PRE marriage and POST marriage. Those answers are bound to be revealing!

Mrs.Espo said...
Forget the pillow...my dog has peed on my husband before! AHAHAHAHA!!! It was sooo funny!!

I get such pleasure out of seeing a woman/wife find humor in her hubby's misfortune. It's the underlying ROCK of marriage. I swear. Or wait...is that finding humor to laugh at YOURSELF? Hmm. Always room for change.

Intense Guy said...
I think it was 70F here yesterday - I don't know why I felt compelled to say that...

And because of THIS statement, I've boycotted your blog. (Alright, I've been boycotting all blogs due to lack of reading time, but that's neither here nor there....)

Dorkys Ramos said...
Can we get some pics of the new family member? And does this mean that it's permanent?

I'll get you the promised photos, but it does NOT mean it's a permanent solution. In fact, TO has been having serious itchy nose issues this past week and I'm starting to wonder if it's the new pooch. Stay tuned....

foxy said...
Okay, SURELY no one thought you were serious! I mean, COME ON!! :)

For ALL clarification...no one outwardly said that they were concerned with my mental state and my "apparent" lack of affection for the "alien". I just worry that I might be interpreted incorrectly....so once in awhile I go on a self-conscious clarification kick. I was very pleased to see the humorous reactions from all of you, however.

Rebecca said...
Darn, I was really looking forward to hearing which friend (and being grateful that you don't know where I live) would get the bassinet!

I've looked you up Rebecca...don't you worry. You're on the radar!

emilyc said...
I SWEAR I thought you were going to end it by saying you were not kidding about having twins though....DARN IT!

Bite your tongue, woman. That news alone might just be enough to do me in. I'll know for certain tomorrow, though. Can't wait to tell you all that it's only ONE BEAN in there!

Whitney said...
You should do a BABY TOOJ-blog pool.

GREAT idea. Stay tuned.....

chacha said...
You could bring your keyboard and mouse and plug it into her computer. Pretty easy to do.

Hellooooooooooooo? Who asked for RATIONAL solutions????

{april kennedy} said...
Also popsicles saved me.

Took your advice and I have one each night now. I even went the HEALTHY route (and those who really know me knows this isn't the norm!) and bought fruit bars. Thank you!

Things to Come.....

Just thought you'd want a head's up. You know, because you're bored enough to care what's coming up at the Square Table as opposed to just getting what's coming when it comes.

1. Comment Consideration
It's been awhile. My fault.

2. Award and Recognition Love
I've received two in two days. Isn't that sweet?

3. And Update in Pictures
I have a few I've been sitting on. Including snapshots of the new family member, Roscoe the dog.

Tuesday Trifles

I have been a horrible blog friend lately. I admit it. I haven't done much at work, and I've done ZERO reading at home. I am still figuring out a way to get my desktop computer transitioned into a laptop. I'm thinking if I position the monitor "just so" on the table beside the bed, I can use my lap to hold the keyboard.....we'll see. Either way, please know I'm AWARE I've been slacking and I will try and improve on this.

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That said, I would love to catch up this weekend. I thought we had a free weekend to relax before the holiday festivities start up, HOWEVER......I just set up the boys to get H1N1 shots Saturday late morning and while doing that, recalled that TO has a birthday party to attend that afternoon. Or is it Sunday afternoon? I can't remember. Either way, we'll have to leave the house and that's NOT what I was hoping for.

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Before any of you judge about the H1N1 vaccine and go on rants about how vaccinations are horrible, let me say this. I don't want to hear it. I think there is a time and place for modern medicine, and with my children possessing one of those "underlying conditions" called asthma, I'm not taking any chances. People are living longer, healthier lives and I strongly believe much of this is, in part, due to what we've been doing for our children medicinally. I also believe in breastfeeding. Anyone gotta problem with THAT?

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OJ ended up with an ear infection and some wheezing. We'd been treating the wheezing appropriately (after lots of practice from TO's episodes over the past three years), and now he's got the good pink medicine. Doc said it looked like his right ear was recovering from an infection (without meds) but his left ear was pretty infected. I figure some of my friends' children experienced over ten ear infections by age one, so we're doing good with OJ's 4 or so by 19 months. I think TO might have topped out around that number, so hopefully OJ's about through with them? Fingers crossed.

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I think we should take a little poll. What's your favorite holiday? It doesn't matter if it's a nationally celebrated one, religiously marked one, or bank one. Which is your favorite? Our cafeteria served a traditional Thanksgiving meal today for lunch, and I loved it. I ordered the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, roll, cranberry sauce, AND....a cheesecake dessert. They didn't have enough whipped topping on the pumpkin pie for me, so I opted for the alternative that had HEAPS of it. YUM. I emailed a friend here at work and stated how much I was loving it. She said it was her favorite, and then came the 4th of July. I naturally asked her what they had for the 4th, thinking they must BBQ something really great, right? Her response: BEER.

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Happy Tuesday!

Monday Mumbles

Ten random things to brighten your otherwise dreary, rainy, cold, going to be snowing Monday. Maybe that's just in my neck of the woods. What does that saying mean, anyhow? "Neck of the woods?" Do woods have necks? These will be short and sweet. Well, maybe not sweet. I'm not feeling sweet.

1. My sister wrote an email that said "let it snow let it snow". My thoughts? That really blows.

2. OJ has been coughing constantly since late yesterday afternoon so he was asthma-treated all night long. I slept on the couch with him. Rather, I WAS on the couch with him tossing and turning. I don't consider it sleep.

3. I was prepared for grumpy OJ this morning due to the coughing and late night. He was impossibly happy all morning long. Talk about CONFUSING.

4. Did I ever mention that this new family member, the dog, peed on Hubs' pillow? Oops.

5. TO got a haircut. We're talking LOW. Like, big boy style, big fluffy curls gone. I teared up.

6. If I have to remind Till ONE MORE TIME to get a jacket or long-sleeved shirt in the mornings when it's 30-40 degrees, I'm going to run him over with my car. No lying.

7. I'm still formulating a plan of action on how to get OUT of sitting at hacker's desk next week without divulging that I'm preggo. As the week wears on, I have a feeling I'll get more and more testy and this won't be a problem.

8. Hubs and I have a couple friend of ours that are expecting their third child in June as well. This weekend we confirmed we are due the exact same day. She will, however, be going early with a scheduled C-section. I will most likely be sitting miserable a week late, waiting to be induced.

9. We had a gathering of friends Saturday night for an early Thanksgiving feast. Because evening time is my worst time for feeling queasy, I attempted to continuously eat to avoid feeling ill. It worked. And I ate A LOT.

10. At the gathering of friends, I was informed that TO told our friend's daughter, who is 10 I believe, that she "was cute". Lord, seriously???? I told him that if they're playing that whisper game at school, he better CEASE immediately. Now adays, they'll call sexual harassment on a five year old, and it WILL NOT be MY five year old. Thank you very much.

Linked:
Allyson
Michelle

Just a Lil Baby Love Clarification

I joke. A lot. I'm a bit sarcastic. I threaten a LOT. The curse of the written word doesn't always allow for you to see these things, I fear. Of course, some critics would say that if I were a GOOD ENOUGH writer you'd see it clearly. Well stuff it, critics. I'm going to do a little CYA** here, if you don't mind....whether my readers need it or not.

**CYA = cover your ass**

What I mean to say, folks, is that many times? I am simply being facetious. When I said yesterday that I'd be dropping off a bassinet on the doorstep of my friends? I didn't really mean that. I was kidding. When I said I would physically harm Till? Didn't mean that either. It's just my way of giving a lighthearted outlook on the things in my life....things that could really bug a person down with depressing thoughts and overkill on thinking.

Till has gotten into a fair amount of trouble since he came to live with us. Heck, it's WHY he came to live with us. I used to allow his daily mishaps to bury me emotionally, and I would get drained each day after work thinking up new ways to reprimand and then teach him. I would emotionally spend myself worrying. And then I stopped. I realized it wasn't doing any good. I still have moments, don't think I don't, but they are few and far between. And he's matured and changed and started to see the effects of good behavior and effort and respect. It's coming full circle.

Babies. When I was younger, I LOVED babies. I couldn't get enough of them. When I hit my twenties, I thought less about them or about creating a family. Hubs came into the picture as a boyfriend, and I started to think it would be "alright" if that happened, but I had no real goal in mind for creating a family. And then we were starting one, just like that. I realized if I'm not thrown into a situation, I might sit on the sidelines forever. And once I'm IN.....well, I always say there's no use in wasting the time being sad about it. I welcomed TO and the idea of a family.

Interestingly enough, I never really knew if I wanted another baby. Back when I loved babies, I thought I wanted a large family. At least five children. Why five? That's the size of family I came from, of course! But as we experienced parenthood with TO and then Till moving in, the adult side of me interfered and discussed monetary issues, housing issues, education issues. So it was in our best interest to just let OJ appear, as he did. After OJ, well....you all know THAT story. He's been special for 19 months, and only now when it's on the horizon that he'll no longer be the baby...he's starting to act more like a big boy.

I'm not a planner for my personal life. Some call that irresponsible. Some call that carefree. I don't think I'm either. I just choose to let life happen, and then find the best possible way to smile at each turn of event. So if you ever read here that I'm extra grumpy about the nausea, or if (GOD FORBID) there are twins in my tummy and I'm dropping one off somewhere, take it with a grain of salt. Just remember that life happens, and TOOJ deals. Usually with a bit of sarcasm, a smile, and complete denial until Doom's Day arrives.

Thursday Yawns

It's titled that because I just yawned. Simple as that. Well, and probably because my life is one big yawn lately.

I don't have much news to report on the OJ front. He's actually behaving a bit better as each week passes. I do believe he spent his "terrible twos" during his 0-24 month stage of life. Granted, he's only at month 19, but I'm giving him leniency to get it all out of the way in the next five months. Generous, don't you think?

TO, on the other hand, cries at the slightest notion he *might* get reprimanded, and he somehow thinks his tears will stop us from scolding him. I can see the difference in him as he matures, and he's getting that "boy itch" as I call it, getting wilder by the night. Literally. Or maybe he's just bigger, so when he plays football in the house, the stomps are louder, the couch is more worn from his jumping, and there are more people in the home that he can knock down or run into.

Till received his first detention of the year for "talking out". Such a vague term. Tell me nitty gritty, teachers. I want to know if he's simply talking to his friends, if he's back talking your instructions, if he's voicing his opinion in the middle of class and disrupting the lesson or quiet time.....so many ways to talk out. Details, people, I need details. It's the difference between a belt, my hand, or my mouth. KIDDING. I don't bite him. (again, kidding.)

I get to have a sonogram next Friday to ensure that "all is well" with baby, as the doc put it. Fine with me. I like confirmation early on that things appear to be as normal as can be. And I can put rumors to rest that I might be spawning twins. Some of you think it's funny to suggest that, but it won't be such a laughing matter when I drop off that extra bassinet on your doorstep, will it? Huh Michelle? Huh Jamie? Huh huh huh???

I haven't been around to visit blogs much and I see that you all took advantage of the week TO blog....I will catch up. I promise. You know that I do. Just give me time in between the nausea attacks, the yawns, and the eating of chocolate.

Tuesday Trifles

Let's face it. The busier we get, the more life appears to be served in chunks. I give you the Mumbles each Monday because that's how Mondays go. I mumble along, hitting all the speedbumps that the beginning of the week has to offer. But where it USED to feel like potholes were filled as the week went along, life just seems more and more bumpy now. It could be the three kids, husband, and house that put bumps in my week. Or the new dog. Or the fact that I can't manage to keep from gagging and dry heaving from 4-8pm, and sometimes 1:00 a.m. That's right, folks. I was up at the toilet at 1am. LOVING THIS.

So, with that said, you might be getting my life in fragments. The Mumbles, now the Trifles.....who knows what kind of alliteration I'll come up with for the rest of the week. Unless I have something really important to say and then you'll get the monologues you love so much. Or photos. I'll still supply you with photos of the kids I deem "cute" where the rest of you are like, "Did I see those kids on THIS blog...or THAT blog? I don't really remember."

TRIFLE 1: Over-the-wall Lady
Some of you have asked about her and the ensuing drama. Word is this: NO WORD. She hasn't mentioned or emailed or given me a wink that she understands and is in on the secret. I don't think we'll get any sort of reaction from her until I announce it to the group, IF we get one then. I will keep you posted if anything changes. I don't plan on telling the group for another week or three.

TRIFLE 2: Duties at Work
It's no secret that I'm bored at work. I've asked others if I can help, not many volunteer up their work for me. I've started to consider other parts of the company and have even made an inquiry into a department that might be intriguing. In the meantime, I met with my manager and we've set up a couple of things for me to start working on, one being the duties of a supervisor here so that I can cover when she is absent.

The problem I have with this? Manager lady keeps insisting that because I sit "on the other side of the wall" (that she absolutely hates), she would like for me to sign onto a lady's computer nearer the group when she is gone for a week. Guess what? I won't do it. Why, you ask? She's THE hacker. And I am NOT a huge germaphobe, not a bit. I don't cringe (too much) when I open doors with handles or turn faucet spouts. But she hacks all the time, all over her desk, and she is by far the LEAST HEALTHY person in the office. And I'm pregnant. Simple as that. I won't subject myself, during flu season, to unnecessary germs. I will complain to my manager's manager if I have to. I didn't sign up to share keyboards. If that's what I wanted, I'd work at the Arby's near my house and save on gas.

TRIFLE 3: When is too much, TOO much?
Ordering breakfast this morning, I asked for two pieces of bacon. The chef inquired if I was the gal who usually wanted SIX pieces of bacon. WELL....this was in front of 5 or 6 people and I was simply....No, no I wasn't mortified. That sort of thing doesn't embarrass me. In fact, I asked him to throw on a third just because he called me out. Thanks, Chef Dude. They were tasty....could have been crisped up a bit more, but still....tasty.

Monday Mumbles

Ten random things to catch you up on TOOJ and the boys. Happy Monday!

1. Remember this post? The TOOJ house has inherited "said Ewok". At least on a trial basis. My mother moved to a location that only allows for one pet. She had two. So far....Ewok (a.k.a. Roscoe) is attached to my heels and desperately missing his mother and brother. Yeah, so much for no dogs. More on this to come. I have pictures for you.

2. I have reverse morning sickness. 4pm - 5pm hits and I instantly have wads of mucus and potential vomit in my throat, and it generally lasts until at least 8pm. That might be TMI for some of you, but it's driving.me.crazy. And I hate vomiting. I fight it, lay still, try to sip water and push it down....so far, I'm successful. UGH. This sucks.

3. For those of you NOT near us.....we had temperatures in the 70s....upper 70s....all weekend. It was blissful.

4. We got up early on Sunday, which is a rarity for Hubs. He usually gets to sleep in. But since we were all up, we headed outside and raked. And raked. And raked. And pushed leaves. And raked. And bagged. But we didn't complete the front yard because we ran out of bags. OJ helped us out by storing some leaves in his hair, though.

5. TO received a gift card for a free kids meal at Outback Steakhouse for passing his first Mastery test on the first try, so we took him and OJ out to eat yesterday afternoon. I shamefully nibbled food off every single plate on the table. Ribs from Hubs, grilled cheese from OJ, cheese fries appetizer, honey wheat bread served to all, my french onion soup, and TO's macaroni. I also shared TO's ice cream dessert, and had a stomach ache to show for it later.

6. If anyone has taken medicine for pregnancy nausea, I'd like to hear from you. I tend to shy away from any meds, whether knocked up or no, but this nightly wave of vomiting repression is really starting to bother me. Not to mention I'm worthless around the house when the kids need me most. Feel free to email me about the side effects, if you chose to take any. Thanks in advance. toojmama@gmail.com

7. I was just boasting to Michelle here at work that both my mom's side AND my dad's side do Thanksgiving (and Christmas, for that matter) celebration in the same town. This has always made it easy for us to split our time between both houses, spending quality time with each side in one day. Yeah. Not so much anymore. I get an email that my dad's fam might be doing it closer to MY actual house, but 35-40 minutes away from the "shared town", and there is the possibility that my mom's side will be doing it 30 minutes away from the "shared town", but in the OPPOSITE DIRECTION. It's time to start picking and choosing where we go each year, I suppose.

8. OJ woke up this morning with both arms out of his long sleeve shirt. He's learning how to undress himself and doing it in the night time. But he wasn't concerned about his shirt when he woke up. He said, "poo poo," and pointed to his rear. And he had, indeed.

9. TO has officially become trash day helper dude. It's typically Till's job, but because Till is so hit or miss, I figured I might as well start training TO. I need SOMEONE to remember to do it, in case I don't.

10. I cannot wait for food to start tasting better again. I have so many places on my list to visit....but alas....the thought of masticating certain foods is just. Blah. And the sight and sound of others doing it is just. Blah. Maybe I should suck on a tootsie pop and call it a day.

**Bonus: I just realized as the clock approaches noon that I forgot to put underwear on TO. He's dangling free at school today and probably loving it. Oh my goodness, what a terrible mom move.

Linked:
Michelle
Allyson

Fabulous Friday

I have nothing much to tell you today, but to keep with the theme of posting everyday (to appease my dear sisters who felt I didn't blog enough lately), I'll go 'round the Tooj house and update you on everyone. Because our life is so exciting, it should become a show. Okay, no? No. But still....

Tooj: With news out of the alien growth inside me, feeling queasy all.day.long. All.day.long. Worse at night. Haven't cooked for kids in a couple of weeks. Takes all strength to hold back vomit. Otherwise peachy.

Hubs: Holding strong and doing the cooking and dishes. Managing to survive life as single parent at night. Tries to keep Tooj calm, sometimes successful sometimes not.

Till: Headed to mom's for weekend, probably looking forward to getting away from crazy lady Tooj. Been diligent practicing on clarinet. Still hard to wake up in the morning.

TO: Attempts to read his pages to Tooj at night, she falls asleep and can't help with big words. Craving attention and hates to mess up. Probably due for some extra lovin' tonight before bed.

OJ: Perfect at daycare drop-off this morning. A certain Monster Girl was missing from the group, and it was visibly evident in OJ's demeanor. He greeted. He smiled. He never said NO. He ate his food without whining. Monster Girl attacks other kids' food, and OJ is obviously upset by her presence in the morning.


What will you all be doing this weekend? Leave me with a tidbit, a tease, make your life sound exciting, please! I will drift off into daydreams about what you all are doing while I lie in bed and feel sorry for myself. Okay, I won't be lying in bed all weekend....my mom is moving and I'll be helping her out at some point. Maybe directing boxes while I lie on HER couch. :)

Update in Photos

It took some convincing to get the big, bad, "cool" 6th grader to sit and be buried in leaves. So appropriately the photo I use is the one where he looks like he is having the most fun.
This little man took no convincing, however.

I will not tell you (nearly an hour and a half) how much time was taken up throwing leaves around by these adults. Pictured from left: Rachel (brother's girlfriend), Leslie (sister), Petrie (the dog at Leslie's feet), Anna (sister) and Dad (Till and TO and brother Jimmy all aided in this air-tossed Leaf Tree.)

It took some convincing for this guy too, but once he started throwing the leaves, he had some fun. He wasn't a huge fan of having his legs covered, however. It was short-lived.

We had an alien and Elvis for Halloween this year. The alien was such a simple guy he actually just wanted to recycle his costume from last year and be a spider again. I vetoed that and said he should get to be something new. And so he chose the alien. Elvis is wearing vintage girls clothes from Wal-Mart as they both had sparkles on them. Here are a few more shots to get the full effect.

Elvis' cape. Cut, bunched at the neck, and glittered by yours truly. The big collar on the shirt came from the hood that was on the shirt originally. Just cut it in half and folded it down, stitched it in place, and voila. I'm so crafty it hurts.

With leftover felt from the cape material, we cut and sewed in triangles to create Elvis' bell bottoms. One side had squiggles.....

......the other side had EP. Of course. I'm not entirely certain Elvis wore sneakers, but they looked good regardless.

Elvis could NOT hang all day long. He napped, WITH glasses, in the car. Do you notice the little ruffle on the shirt?

Last and least, Hubs and I on our way to our get-together. We recycled my nun outfit from two years ago and put it on Hubs, and he completed his look with shades, a beer, and a cigar. My dad purchased an old hag mask which I used. I just threw together some other clothes to appropriately mis-match, including my dad's winter socks and cane. My dad doesn't USE a cane...he just has one. Not sure what that's about.

Mid Week Review

Michelle (my co-worker in crime) and I have been whispering about my "condition" for awhile now. We sit in two cubes separated from the rest of the group by a high wall, and so we are "hidden" from view. We are not, however, hidden from sound and there have been a few occasions where we might have been heard whispering about me being "with child" by a lady who sits on the other side of the wall.

While I do not yet want to announce my "condition" to my department, I felt guilty talking about it so frequently within possible earshot of said "over the wall" lady. So I sent her an email and explained that it's still in hush-hush mode, but in case she heard the rumblings between Michelle and I, HERE was her confirmation.

Do you think she responded? Michelle and I are bewildered by the silence, and we've come up with several possible reasons for it. My email WAS a bit cryptic and did not use the actual word pregnancy, however I do think she was given enough information to deduce what was being said. The day she received the email and said nothing we thought maybe she was waiting until the end of the day when everyone else would be gone so they didn't overhear her join our conversation. Nope. She has three grown children that she raised but who are not her biological children and it's possible, we supposed, she still has mixed feelings on those who conceive naturally? We have no reason to believe she couldn't bear children, we just know that she did not.

We are stumped. I guess it'll be interesting to see how she reacts when the rest of the group is told about my expecting status. Until then.....we sit confuddled.

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In other news, Hubs called on his work break to tell me he was thinking pizza for dinner tonight. I agreed that I, too, was thinking pizza. I said I'd go home to get a coupon, order it, and then he could go get it. He said he already had a coupon in his pocket, and I naturally asked what it was for. He responded, "1 frozen sausage. $1." Seriously. Doesn't he think that got us into enough trouble already?

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TO drew me a picture of a cat and above it he wrote, "Mama I love you". What I like most about the picture, however, is that he wrote the word "cat" next to the cat's bum-hole, as if it's farting it out. And the cat, ironically, has this dopey grin on its face as if it just relieved itself.

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There is something to be said for hackers at work, and it is this:

"GO HOME."

I don't mean computer information thieves. I mean coughing hackers. Don't pretend your hackfest is due to choking on your sandwich, and don't pretend you haven't been coming in sick for the last two weeks. Especially when your old behind is hoarding two weeks of VACATION for Thanksgiving AND Christmas while the rest of us get neither off. Retire already. I'm irritated.

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I uploaded photos this morning, and I'm proud to announce that I'll have Halloween and Fall Fun pics for you tomorrow. EXCITING STUFF here, folks. Don't wet your pants.

The End of TOOJ...the Beginning of....?

It's time. For the announcement. But first, I figured I should explain why stepson Till wasn't ever included in my blog name TOOJ. Those of you who have been around awhile already KNOW that TOOJ originated here. If Till had been included in the origination, my blog name would have been STTOOJ. And who wants to be known as the blog "stooge"? Really?

So, as the title explains, the end of TOOJ may be nearing. We don't have a definite idea of what TOOJ might become. But it's ending. It's nothing you did. Oh no, indeed, it's more like it's something Hubs did. He's always to blame, is he not? I figured since I've been sitting around with this knowledge bottled up inside of me for awhile, I'm going to share tidbits from the past few weeks.

1. I blame my dad for offering to babysit the kids during my obviously fertile weekend.

2. I blame my girlfriends for getting together on my obviously fertile weekend, which prompted my father to offer to babysit.

3. I always blame Hubs.

4. Sympathy weight gain started REALLY early. That day I stayed home from work and ate mozzarella sticks? That's all I had for lunch. Apparently that same day Hubs only had mozzarella sticks for lunch as well.

5. Within two weeks of finding out, I was asked TWICE, "Are you PREGNANT again?" Both of these questions were prompted by the fact that I wasn't drinking at a social engagement. But wait....I rarely drink anyhow....so why should these moments be any different? I don't know. Did I LOOK guilty?

6. I realized that no matter how many babies you have and no matter the fact that you're married, telling your dad that you're expecting is still like admitting that you have sex. Okay, it's not LIKE it....it IS that. It's weird. I am just thankful that my father loves the idea of expecting grandkids and gets excited and loud and otherwise drowns out my awkward giggling.

7. I am currently at week 8 (out of 40 for those of you youngins), today.

8. Due date is June 15th, 2010. This completes my love for even numbers. Our family has one person born in every even numbered month of the calendar year. Hubs-Feb, OJ-April, baby-June, TO-Aug, Tooj-Oct, and Till-Dec.

9. No, we won't be finding out the gender and no, we won't be telling you name considerations. Please refrain from asking. I'll probably bite your head off. Unintentionally of course. It's the hormones.

10. Speaking of hormones, anything that CAN be blamed on hormonal shifts WILL be blamed on hormonal shifts. I am, however, making a VERY conscious effort to be pleasant, calm, and peaceful during this pregnancy. I am trying to take my own personal affects out of the equation for this child's temperament. Lord knows we don't need another OJ. He's special, but please let him be one of a kind.

Monday Mumbles

Ten quick random thoughts for you on this bright and sunshiny morning.

1. Daylight savings. Love the early sunshine. Detest the early darkness. But since I'm always inside after I get off work anyhow doing dinner prep and such, I'll take the early sunshine any day.

2. Halloween: The Goal - My dad and brother live an hour away. We planned on trick or treating in their neighborhood, going to an adult party afterward in a town 15 minutes away, going BACK to my dad's to pick up the boys and drive the hour back home.

3. Halloween: The Reality - We trick or treated in my dad's neighborhood, went to our adult party, went back to my dad's to pick up the boys around 10:30 (post daylight hour save). TO and OJ were fast asleep of course, and Till was up playing the Wii with my dad and brother. The glint in Hubs' eyes was unmistakable. Dad said he'd keep the boys overnight and bring them to our house on Sunday if we wanted to go home. I did. Hubs wanted to play. We stayed, he played, I slept. I didn't get home on Sunday to do anything I wanted to do, but at least breakfast and lunch were fixed for us. Thanks, Dad.

4. Last night I went with a girlfriend to watch So You Think You Can Dance, season 5 live. Although I'm a wimp and was tired before it started (at 7:30!), I hung in and enjoyed the show. They performed the favorite dances of the season with the top ten (twelve, actually) finalists, and it didn't disappoint. All the dances I enjoyed the first time around were done again, beautifully. Ade and Melissa did the breast cancer dance and I loved it all over again. Of course. It doesn't hurt that he's beautiful.

5. My sisters have been disappointed in my blogging frequency, or lack thereof. I do believe they actually LIKE hearing about the family and keeping up on our daily mishaps. I will try and be better, girls. Tonight I promise to sit and upload pics and do a weekend update in photos.

6. We had a food day at work on Friday for Halloween. I ate waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much.

7. OJ keeps waking up and crying in the night. I don't know why. This morning, however, he might have given me a clue. He said, "Owww!" suddenly and grabbed his ear and said, "Eeeeerrrr." We might have to get them checked out if it continues. I can't overreact, though, because he's been having mucus and drainage, so it could just be irritation from that. Lovely thought, I know. But it's what moms do. We talk about snot.

8. Let's take a vote here. I have a focus group meeting to attend at work today. It says the topic at hand is "retention". Who votes that whatever I WANT to mention is actually heard AND received? Who votes that I could talk for three hours and none of it would be ingested? Focus groups are a nice thought for Human Resources to organize employee thought into charts and graphs, but who organizes it into action? That's what I thought.

9. I feel the need to unbutton my pants.

10. My sisters, brother and the boys played football a lot of Saturday evening and all day Sunday. I tried once, tripped over the hump of the tree going for a pass, fell on my butt, and walked back inside. It was better for me to watch football that day instead of play, apparently. I'm not usually this clumsy, but I have an excuse. I'll get back to you on what that is.

LINKED:

Allyson
Michelle