Monday Mumbles

Bright. Cheery. Monday. Mumble along with me, why don't you?


1.  We spent a lot of the past four days recovering. OJ's been upped to his "red zone" on asthma meds and hitting a double ear infection with antibiotics. TO recovered nicely from his two weeks ago bout with asthma. I got hit with a sore throat turned congestion and cough, but feeling much better as of midday Sunday.

2.  Last weekend we spent some time in the leaves at my dad's house.  The boys love going there and raking and playing.  Playing and raking.

TO hides, but you can see with his eyes that he's smiling. I love that.

OJ allowed us a brief burial moment before he broke free. What a good sport he was.

OJ instantly turned around and attacked Uncle Jimmy though. Good sports all around.

And my sister's poor little Petrie "Peter" dog had to take part of the festivites. Against his will I'm sure.

3.  As Christmas nears, I'm forced once again to brainstorm for gift ideas. Fortunately this year, we've been given a bit of a break. Family has thrown out a few ideas for us, and the kids are surprisingly easy to shop for. We'll see if the gifts go over as well as my shopping has been this year.

4. And no, none of the shopping took place on Black Friday. I don't do that sh*t.

5.  Sorry for the **expletive**.  I really am, you Jackwagon. Need a box of tissues, you Crybaby?

6.    Gal time was had this Thanksgiving.

Here I am sandwiched between my twin sisters. Law school Anna on the left, accountant Leslie on the right. Funny..."L" for law goes with "A" sister...and "A" for accountant goes with "L" sister. Ha!

Here's my pigtail boopie girl. She doesn't sit up by herself yet, so she's scrunched up against me. I love her little face.

7.  Who can afford to give a Lexus as a Christmas gift? Really?  Without your spouse KNOWING you are purchasing it???  This doesn't happen in my poor or poorer, count your pennies, leftovers on the plate go to the Dad, not the disposal, world.

8.  I'm on the computer a lot. I type fast. Click click click click clickity clickity click click.  I also play spider solitaire a lot, using my mouse.  Know what I can't stand??  The noise of someone else clicking their mouse.

9.  I don't know a thing that Lady Gaga sings and I've barely seen photos of her, but she annoys me.

10.  Cold weather is settling in. Bah winter.

Sunday Evening Visitor

Here is our second installment of Sunday Evening Visitor. Just a casual conversation with my eldest little curly que, TO.  Otherwise known as Turner.

Mom:  Do you like your hair when it's short or with the curls?

Turner:  Short. I like it short.

Mom: Even though Mom likes the curls?

Turner: I just like the short hair!

(laughter followed by interruption from OJ)

Turner:  I love you, Mom.

Mom: What's it like having an older brother so much older than you?

Turner: He's not THAT much older than me!

Mom: Almost seven years. 

Turner: Well, in the family he plays jokes....and I like him. Lots of stuff.

Turner: Weeeeee. Wee wee weeeeeee. 

(interrupted by Geico commercial)

Mom: What is your favorite thing about Owen?

Turner: That he's loco and....I like it that way.

Mom: How is he crazy?

Turner: He's being crazy right now. He goes wild sometimes.

Mom: Do you think Owen is a good boy?

Turner: That's a hard question to answer.

Mom: Why?

Turner: Because he's not that good.

Mom: Why?

Turner: Because he likes to do this - (gets up on the couch, stands, states "I'm the king of the world!" and falls backward, nearly on Owen's head. Owen then states "no way Jose!")

Mom: Sit back down, T.  What do you think about making that jump from kindergarten to first grade?

Turner: I liked it. I was kinda scared at first. On my first day, I was scared too.

Mom: What were you scared of?

Turner: Skipping into it because I'd never been in that class. I only knew two other people from Prime Time. Oh, three.  Jasmine. J-a-s-m-i-n-e. James. J-a-m-e-s. And Jaden. J-a-d-e-n.

Mom: Thanks for spelling those.  

(interrupted so that Mom could reprimand Owen from pushing Evie too hard in her swing.)

T, since you have tan skin, and Mom has white skin, and Daddy has brown skin, do you think that makes you different from the other kids?

Turner: Umm..........no. I'm like all the other kids. 

Mom: Do you sometimes pick on Owen and try to get away with it?

Turner: (laughter) Yes!

Mom: Do you think that's very nice?

Turner: (laughter) Yes!

Mom: You know you're supposed to protect your little brother and little sister, right?

Turner: Yeah. 

Mom: How are you going to do that?

Turner: I don't know. Walk in front of him?

Mom: What's one thing you'll do to protect Evelyn?

Turner: Oh, yikes. When she's this age, I can teach her stuff. And when she gets bigger, she'll be able to do them. 

Mom: So you'll teach her as a baby, and then she'll do them as an older kid?

Turner: Mmm hmm. Like how to like...talk. She said "hi" when I said hi and was running and jumping.  She didn't realize it, it was in a baby voice. 

Mom: You were running and jumping on my couch?

Turner: Yes, I was like....

(demonstration followed)

Connect with Reality

These "interweb" connections sometimes feel so....
windblown.

Face to face old-time reach-and-touch connections
are like a tent pitched right.
They're secured with hooks,
dug into the ground, solid.

These interweb meet and greets are as
fleeting as our fingertips are heavy.
As intriguing as our real time distractions
can allow.

They sometimes feel like a tent pitched
without digging the holes to secure the pegs
and tie it down, firm and strong.


This isn't a poem, but instead each line was thought out separately. Also as stuttering as relationships tend to be today. Even those with whom you know face to face, we've become an email. A text. A Facebook status.

We are no longer chips and dip or steam from coffee or a cheesy burrito fresh with conversation, witty one liners, and smiles. Maybe we're older and life gets in the way, but I truly think it's something else. Something lazy. Something convenient without feeling. I love new age. I love technology. Obviously I do. But I miss my friends. My time spent. Heck, I even miss my husband and he doesn't even Facebook.

Time to regroup.

Monday Mumbles

Another Monday rolls around.  Are you rolling with me?  Would a Krispy Kreme help?

1.  Evie had a bit of a belly bug all last week. She kept her vomiting sessions to once a day, and mainly projected onto me.  She also had some runs that ran straight through her clothes each day.  Poor thing had perfectly fine attitude and behavior, however, and kept her smile bright.

2. Hubs knows a lot of random stuff.  He's an intelligent guy. This weekend however, those perceptions were challenged when my sister, brother and I had to explain to him who Hellen Keller was and what she accomplished. I'm going to pretend it's a cultural barrier we're fighting here. 

3. Did you know she just died in 1968?  I was thinking she was "a bit further back" in history than that. I guess we all learned a little something.

4.  One of the gals from our group of dinner date/family time group text me (several times) to invite us to their church this Sunday. She would send a text nearly every week, asking if we still planned on attending. I appreciated her invite and accepted.  She mentioned she was part of a presentation and wanted us there if we could make it. I didn't plan on witnessing what I did, but I'm grateful she thought of us.

5.  Not only was she part of the presentation, she was the organizer. It was a "Cardboard Testimony", something I've found out is common in churches, but of which I was not familiar. For those of you unaware, individuals stand before the congregation and hold up a cardboard sign. It states their personal struggle or fight.  They flip the cardboard over and the other side states how God personally touched their life and their situation. 

6.  It was unbelievably moving.  It was humbling.  It was terrific.

7.  We have TO's basketball practice tonight. Can't wait to teach children who WANT to be taught. There's nothing better than educating those who enjoy learning.

8.  My babies are beautiful. Just sayin'.  A lady in Kohl's check out line reminded me of this little fact Saturday.

9.  I fear work this week and next.  Michelle is gone. With one supervisor out, our boss is always a little more on edge than normal. And normal isn't normal for most regular folk.

10.  I ask one thing of all of you for the week - thank your local grocery store clerks when you do your shopping. I worked checkout during the holiday season and I'll be damned if the people weren't the rudest during the "season" of merry and cheer and thankfulness.  Just be nice, darn it.

Sunday Evening Visitor

A new "regular" post here at the table. I figured if my blog has a table, it should have discussions. That's what we do at the table, right? Talk? Maybe that's just at my house.  And since this is my "home"....I introduce Sunday Evening Visitor. I will post my visitor's thoughts, and then my response.  I encourage you to use your comment to join in the discussion. I will try and respond in the comments section and I encourage my Visitors to do so as well - to respond to your readers. Respond to one another.


My first Sunday Evening Visitor - Her name is Anna.  She is my sister. My baby sister. At times, we couldn't be more different.  At other times, we're obviously related.  She has been thinking. A LOT lately. Maybe law school does that to a person. I've asked to use one of her Facebook Notes as our first visiting session.

The Road to Hell is Paved With Good Intentions

I have good intentions toward people.  I want them to be happy and to have the life they want.  I want to make people happy...but what good are my intentions if I don't do anything about them?  I can say, I intend to be nice to people today when I'm in a really bad mood but can I actually be nice to them? Only my actions will truly carry out my intention of being nice (or not, sometimes we fail). 

So, what is this proverb saying?  Is it saying that people with good intentions go to hell?  That can't be right.  If we're all trying to do good but fail, how do we go to hell for that?  I know that we justify some of our actions by what our intentions are in life and I think that's what this saying means...we can't justify bad behavior because we think we're doing good. 

Is it saying that if we only have good intentions yet fail to act upon them we then go to hell?  What's heaven like if good intentions are to be penalized in life?  Is it the opposite? We're supposed to treat people with the worst intentions possible? That can't be right either. 

So I don't know how to understand this proverb.  It could mean that we can't excuse some of our behavior that has caused hurt solely by our intentions.  It could mean that we must act on our intentions no matter the consequences because at least we put forth the effort to try to do good.  I understand that some consequences are worse than others in life, but if we're all full of good intentions, then are we all going to hell?

And what are we to do with good intentions?   Maybe Hell is the right place to be.

My Response:

I believe you most closely hit the nail on the head with the line "we must act on our intentions no matter the consequences because at least we put forth the effort to try to do good".

I actually interpret the saying without the concept of... consequences. I try and remember this saying when I find myself thinking about doing something good for others, but realizing I haven't followed through. Simple example: Neighbor is elderly and has trouble raking leaves. I drive by in the morning thinking to myself "I should go offer to rake the leaves when I get home tonight". When I get home, I fail to act on this good intention. The next morning, the same cycle continues.

In general, if all we do is THINK about the good we could provide this world and our fellow man, we make no impact. If we truly believe that we are to be the image of God and act as closely as we humanly can in his image, the we must DO GOOD, not just think about doing good.

Of course, the consequences of our actions are not necessarily within our controls. I don't believe the consequences should factor into what we choose to do and how we choose to act. I could rake the leaves of the neighbor and never receive a thank you or a kind smile. It doesn't lesson my act, nor does it affect my intention to do the act again in the future.

I'm long-winded. Should be no surprise since we're related. :)

Funny Faces Friday

She's constantly got the mouth open, tongue out.

Aaannnnd....we've had enough "up" time.  Tipping....over.....

...THIS is the lazy way to play.  What a bum.

If she weren't so darn kissable.

God's Piece in My Puzzle: Having Children

I've never really had a fear of having children. Of their cost. Of their burden. Hubs and I have been surprised by all three pregnancies, the first (our six year old) before we were married. Even then, I did not worry. Maybe I'm an exception. Maybe I truly didn't grasp the enormity of what we were undertaking.

I do know this. I'd found a way to make everything before him work. I would find a way to make THIS work. I can state with certainty that I have always been under the feelings of "what will be, will be", and that's never been in moments of financial security. I've never lived in moments of financial security. Not once in my entire life. :)

I also believe that if I had the strength in faith that some friends have, if I put full thought and preparation into what I thought God would want for me before each of my pregnancies, I might have followed a different path. I might have followed through on actually using birth control. I would have realized the significant impact daycare costs would tally on my paycheck. I may not have my blessings that I do.

The only true faith I have practiced consistently is that I have always felt that things will work out. Maybe that's because I have a great familial support system. Maybe that's because I have an inflated belief in my capabilities and survival skills. Maybe it's because God knows I'm trying to find my way to his comfort like so many have, and therefore given me hurdles to show that I have a support larger than what's here on Earth. Maybe he knows that I could handle the challenges that a baby presented to me, but knows that my struggle is deeper in trusting him. BOOM - baby, and thus a growing sense that something larger than goodness in people and trust in myself is out there.

Maybe he knows that some already have his love, and some already feel him in their life. He might know that the challenges and rewards a baby presents are not within their means. It's easy for someone like me with three great surprises in the form of babies to say "they aren't that hard, you find ways to make it work". What if things I struggle with on a daily basis are easy for THEM? I've been blessed with gifts to receive one thing, they've been blessed to receive gifts in another form.

Knowing what's our decision to make or what we need to leave up to "chance" is a personal experience. And with much thought and care, and true understanding of what you need when you NEED it will become clear in due time.  I just hope my "God is in my life, truly" moment is more of the AHA! variety than the "watching bread rise" type.  I like clarity and sure-fire proof.  Maybe I shouldn't call it fire.....

Monday Mumbles

Another tumultuous Monday begins, another work week starts off with confusion and uncertainty.  Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?  Time will tell.  Time, and possibly a fortuitous fortune cookie.  

1.  I begin my week with jury duty.  With a show of hands, how many of you are jealous of me?? I've only been called to "duty" twice, this being the second. The first time I had the privilege of being picked for the jury. This time I'm going to try and see what pull my lactating status has on getting excused.

2.  Work has been a suffering sore spot lately, I know that you KNOW this.  Without much detail, the problems lie in lack of support, confusing perceptions of aligned loyalty, uncertainty in what direction to take the issues, and most of all? Frustration over the lack of professionalism in a world that requires it.

3.  I'm doing my best to work through it all.  I have had conversations with potential supporters, interested parties, and outside influences that could truly be life lines.

4. Speaking of outside influences....dear friend Tracy.  I will call you today. I needed to gather my thoughts this weekend and lay low. I should have called you back sooner, but needed to "think" alone. See where I stand. Put things into perspective before proceeding.  :)  But be sure to check your email.

5.  I need to sort through TO's pre-school box, decide what will be kept for scrapbooking and which pieces I'll finally throw out.  Yes, I kept everything.

6.  Lately, I have been pondering two words. Trying to find out what role they play in my everyday. Grace. Soul.  So many people throw them around, some with seriousness, others with frivolity.  I want to decipher what exactly they mean to me.

7.  TO begins basketball tonight.  Guess who signed up to coach?  Yup, that's right. This will be a one year contract for me, but I'm really excited.  I've been working out some drills to go through during our first practice, mostly to try and observe which kids have some knowledge and skills and which kids do not.

8.  All three kiddos have had a bit of a cough. Nothing major, especially since we consider TO's and OJ's to an extent, to be asthma-related.  Evie's is mostly due to a floppy trachea that she will apparently outgrow in the next six months or so. BUT, due to the coughs, I kept them home this weekend and did not attend the baptism celebration of a certain cousin and their 2 month old baby.  I've been wanting to meet this babe for 2 months now, but I didn't want to bring the germies as well.  Maybe in a couple of weeks at Thanksgiving we can meet.

9.  Speaking of floppy, Evie was placed in her megasaucer here at home for the first time and she....flopped forward. Flopped backward. This girl is a lazy lil bug.

10.  Can you begin to imagine how much I love these little people?  Actually, I'm sure you can.

Funny Faces Friday

She's a spitter.  Loves spitting bubbles. They can land on her forehead and she just giggles. And giggles. And then I giggle.

He's not in the middle of talking. I lifted up the camera and this is what he did to me.

It might look like three kids playing Wii, but it's really a six year old bug-eye, 12 year old manboy, and a 28 year old boyman.

Remember the face-off back in August? They're just getting bigger.

....bigger and able to roll around and stare at one another.

I do believe I already glimpse a bit of the girlie attitude in each of these precious babes. They're one day apart in age, Evie being the younger.

What I Learned Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

Trust no one.

The end.

Except maybe little people. I don't mean midgets or dwarfs. I mean kids. But under the age of 6.

No wait. TO has tried lying.

So has OJ.

Hmmm. I guess that leaves Evie. 

Trust babies.  That's all.  No one at work.  Rarely those at home.  And NEVER trust a cop.

Just sayin'.  Maybe I've watched too much Law & Order.

Monday Mumbles

Here we go with another round of work.  Just stare straight ahead and pretend like you know what you're doing.  Oh, and do some mumbling. *I thought I hit publish. Apparently I didn't.*

1.  Facebook status on Saturday:  

One would think leaving the game with your team down 28 points IN THE FOURTH QUARTER to leisurely stroll the beautiful campus with friends, you'd be safe. Safe knowing you wouldn't be missing anything spectacular. You'd be wrong.  **My alma mater/college team scored 35 straight points in 12 minutes to win the game that was "clearly" over when I left early.**

 

2.  Facebook status on Sunday:

I love one of the player's quotes in the KC Star today: "Everybody is like 'Get rid of Coach Gill'. Coach Gill is the best coach I've ever played for in my whole life from Little League until now. It just shows what we can do when we believe in ourselves." It's nice to see people in a position of ...influence caring just as much about the development of other people than the bottom line.  **This is the coach's first year with a bunch of freshmen and sophomores on the team. And he's a refreshing change in the world of "winning means everything".**

3.  At least we were close enough that TO and his friend Tony high-fived Big Jay.

 4.  As I've stated before, my little bro Jimmy works for our hometown newspaper. It's a weekly print paper, and he's now the sole writer for it. He's busy. But he took time out to trick or treat with his nephews last weekend, snapping photos. He decided to sneak in a picture of OJ to add to a story about candy's shelf life. Here's a photo of the photo.

 

5.  On Sunday afternoon, my RAaaaaaaaIdAaaaaahs (that's Oakland Raiders to regular folk) took the local Kansas City Chiefs to overtime and won.  OJ was geared up for the game and brought them luck. Thanks OJ!

 6.  I don't understand why everyone complains about Daylight Savings Time. They use it to maximize our sunshine. WHAT is wrong with that?  I love that we spring forward in the Spring, and that they've backed up the falling back an hour into November. But I also like that they do it.

7.  We did our annual Thanksgiving dinner Saturday night with "Hubs' group of friends".  But I realized as we sat there, chatting, that they weren't just his friends anymore. Yes, we're connected by the men in the group. But if any of you have seen the  Tyler Perry films "Why Did I Get Married?", I began envisioning our group a little like them. And it felt nice to have a group of couple and kids like that to be around.

8.  What I realized, too, about the group, is that every single couple had something in common.  Every couple had one of the partners bringing a child into their family from a previous relationship. People could take that one way or another.  What I think about that?  Every single man and woman there had the courage to either trust a partner with the most significant person in their life OR had the courage to join an already partially made family.

9.  Anyone else seen the Budlight "GIRLIES" commercial?  Find it.  Funny stuff.

10.  If anyone has the Powerball numbers, let's share 'em. I think splitting it in half would still be sufficient wouldn't it?  Hit me up. Thanks.

Funny Faces Friday

Your Daily Tidbit - 11/3

Okay, Hubs and I might not be geniuses but we do make pretty cute kids.  Here are our little trick or treaters.

1.  Tidbit #1 and #2 - My little ghosts.  Do you like their floating heads in the car?

2.  Tidbit #3 - Yup. She's our Native American baby doll. If you look like a duck, and spit like a duck.....

Monday Mumbles

Time to mumble about our Mondays.  I hope your weekend was FANtastic.


1.  TO wanted to be a ghost for Halloween last year. I couldn't find a costume and procrastinated making one, so he went as an alien.  This year?  I made the ghost costume.

2.  OJ wasn't thrilled about anything Halloweenie, but he decided he would be a ghost too, when he saw that TO was.  I had two cute ghosts.  Pictures to come tomorrow.

3.  There is a BUT on the ghost costumes.....I couldn't get past the "kinda looks like a certain anti-love group get-up" feeling.  My dad putting black circles around the eyeholes made it much better.

4.  There are personal trials I am experiencing with regard to work. I'm sure you've guessed that from some of my more recent posts. The decisions that some of us are forced to make, and finally facing head-on, are difficult. I still am unsure that I am stepping forward in the most appropriate manner. I wonder if I've worked myself to the decision I've made and made it worse than what it is.  I don't know if we'll ever have the right answer.

5.  Is it really Monday????  Ugh.

6.  Because we've been told that Evelyn looks like an Eskimo, a Mexican, a Samoan, a Native American, and an Asian doll....she went trick or treating as Pocahontas.  Feathered shirt and feathers in the hair to boot.

7.  My mom was here Friday night to be with the kiddos so Hubs and I went to the movies.  We saw "Life As We Know It", Katherine Heigl.  Loved. It. I'm not a movie critic so I love most movies I see, but still...it was good. Hubs even said so.

8.  Speaking of....I think I still have the leftover popcorn around here somewhere....

9.  We have a neighbor directly across the street that rents.  Apparently the landlord stinks, so they've decided to move.  I'm very worried.  This lady and her granddaughter were very good neighbors. Quiet. That's how I like 'em. I fear for what we get in next, but be certain I don't have a problem walking over and telling anyone to shut the HECK up.

10.  Is it really Monday already??????  Double ugh.

LINKED UP:
Michelle