Blocking a writer is like reminding you of childhood memories that you may or may not have even had.

You remember when you were a little kid and you sat out in front of your house on the curb right after a rain storm?  How you would pile up rocks and pebbles making a dam in the water flow?  How you would get mad that you had to pile the rocks even tighter every couple seconds because the water would find the tiny cracks between the rocks and flow through it?  And then, just when you thought you had gotten all the cracks, the water just began to flow right around the dam you made, so you would have to make it wider and higher?

I wish that is how my writer's block worked.  That no matter how blocked I was or how great of a dam was built, my words would always find a way to flow through the cracks or around the edges.  But it just doesn't work that way for me.  When I am blocked, I can't even come up with a halfway witty post to write.  Well, at least I don't think they are even halfway witty. 

I mean, I could write about the spider that invaded my office space yesterday and how I texted my husband for moral support as I killed the little bastard (since I was all alone in the office and there was no way him and I were going to co-exist peacefully in the same space).   And how, when I scraped that little bugger off of my desk, he left a trail of blood in his wake for me to clean up (while completely gagging, of course).  Or how, when I tried to flush that sucker down the toilet, he miraculously stayed in the toilet bowl even when the water drained out and refilled. 

But that just isn't witty enough for a blog, right?

I could write about how the chiropractor asked my son if he was suffering from any headaches since his last visit and in response, Bubba laid his hand gently on his head and said, "Yeah.  Everyone in my class has headaches and has gotten swine flu."  I subsequently had to roll my eyes.  Later that evening when I was relaying the story to my husband, Bubba came in and exclaimed rather excitedly that he had caught the swine flu bug.  He had physically picked up a bug in his room and was convinced that it was the "bug" that caused one to contract the swine flu.  I could also tell you how unhappy I am that the school and it's teachers are placing such an extreme view in the heads of my third and second grade children that they are terrified by every cough and sneeze in their immediate vicinity.  Haven't you people heard that swine flu is a hoax?

However, that, too, isn't really blog worthy, right?

I could write you a story.  Well, no I guess I can't.  I can't think of one right now.  My mind is too full of thought of spiders crawling back up the toilet.  I think I will be holding it until I get home from now on. 

I could tell you my shopping list, but that would be pointless because then when you went to the grocery store to do your shopping, you might remember the things that I needed instead of your own things and then you would get home with all these bags of groceries that you didn't really need.  Then you would have to invite me over to pick up the groceries that you bought thinking they were for you when they really were for me and I don't know where you live and I don't have one of those new fangled GPS systems because I still live in the decade of the 90's and therefore would get lost without directions and even if you gave me directions, I am horrible at following them and the food would all go bad or your dog would eat it before I got there and then it would have been a wasted trip.  So there is no point in me telling you my shopping list.  (Yes, I live with the "If you give a mouse a cookie" mentality every day of my life.)

I could remind you to drink more water in your day to day diet, but then you would smack me upside the head because I am not your mom and only your mom is allowed to tell you what you can and can't eat on a daily basis.  Unless you have a nutritionist...in which case, screw you, you rich SOB for rubbing it in my face that I am fat because I don't know which foods to eat or how to eat them properly (and I am sure if I had money for a nutritionist, I would listen to him/her better than I listen to my own head when it's telling me not to eat the whole box of Wheat Thins in a single sitting).  But wait.  If you have a nutritionist because you need to for medical reasons, then you are exempt from the rant above because clearly you are not one of those snobby rich bitches. 

I could...
I could...
I could...

But obviously, having writer's block is exactly like that little dam that you built in the gutter as a child.  The flow leaks through and around those rocks but the thoughts are stilted and confusing and just plain unusable in a productive, witty blog. 

*sigh*

I guess i will just have to go back to square one.

Caring waters flowing deep...

I am sure there are many different types of mothers. 

I fall into the category of the emotional mother.  The mother whose love shows outwardly in the tears she sheds during the moments that others could hold themselves together.  The mother who feels every one of her child's pains (mental and physical) as if they were her own.  The mother who knows instinctively the topic on the minds of her children without really knowing the details.  I am the mother in the parking lot that gets out of the minivan and is sure to give kisses and "good day" wishes to each kid every single morning without fail.

I am that mother.

I am also the fiercely protective mother who will come to the aid of my children when they are wronged, make sure they are getting the protection and education that they need.  The mother that is in close contact with the school teachers and counselors to make sure that my kids aren't slipping through the cracks.  The mother that expects to get my money's worth.  The mother whose children are protected without being sheltered.  Who knows about the bad things in the world from first hand experience and refuses to allow her own children that pain and suffering. 

Yes, I am that mother too. 

My love for my children shines brightly when the tears start to flow or the claws come out.  I have accepted that to be the way I operate.  Even when I am walking through the school building with tears running down my face or yelling into the phone as I stalk the grocery store aisles, I have accepted that to be my way to deal.  Embarrassing?  A little.  Do I care?  Not so much.  Because my kids are my life, my heart and my soul and that is just my love shining through all of the gloom and doom of a rainy Friday morning. 

Cryptic post?  Yeah, sorry about that.  Let's just say that treading new parenting ground isn't always easy.  In fact, it is rarely easy.  But we all make it through those unknowns because that is what we as parents do.  We keep walking ahead with our heads held high and hope that whatever we did, whatever we taught our kids, whatever example we set along the way was the best that we could do.  It may not have always been right, but we tried. 

And that is what matters.  On this one, I tried and then I cried.

Do you live in the clouds or in outer space?

As part of their grief counseling, the kids have been keeping journals.  They occasionally write their feelings and thoughts, draw pictures or write letters directly to Grandma.  Reading Bubba's journal tears my heart out of my chest in a slow ripping motion.  The last entry I saw was a drawing of everyone gathered at the cemetery with the caption "I wish she didn't die" written above it.  It almost killed me to read it. 

Since the counseling is focusing on an outlet for their emotions, I decided that for her birthday, we would all write letters on helium filled latex balloons and let them float up to heaven for her to read. 

I have this vision in my head of her sitting in the clouds (like a Care Bear, as my daughter pointed out) just looking down on the world below.  She is on a porch swing with Grandma F. on one side and Aunt JoAnn on the other and the three of them are smiling and catching up with each other on all of the things that were missed.  They are gossiping about us that are still on this Earth with a tear in their eye and a smile on their face.  They are watching over us. 

My vision continues with mom reaching out to grab the balloons, one-by-one, as they float by.  She reads them carefully, cries at the pain they represent and then smiles because she knows we will be okay.  We will rise above the pain and sorrow and will go on to live the lives she wanted for us. 

I think she lives in the clouds. 

Teensy thinks she lives in the clouds, too, because she is a dreamer like me. 

Bubba thinks she lives in outer space.  He's not as much of a dreamer.  More logical than the rest of us. 

I've never asked Dear Hubby where he thinks she is.  Seems to me that he doesn't think like the rest of us.  Heaven is not really a place to him, more of a state of mind, I suppose.  I will have to ask him. 

Each of us got something different out of it.  Each of us went about it in a different way.  The kids wrote their messages on their balloons in more of a art activity way.  Teensy's was covered in pictures and hearts and questions.  Bubba's was done quickly and messily and contained very little.  Hubby wasn't sure how to go about it but got in the groove after a few minutes and let out some of the emotions he's been holding in.  Me.  Well, I am a wordy individual.  I used every inch of my balloon to tell her things that I miss, things that I never said to her and things that we are doing right now that I want her to know.  Things that I needed to voice and haven't been able to for various reasons.

All in all, it was a great idea.  And I hope they reached her in Heaven. 

 

Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not see his sorrow?

I quit my job yesterday.

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
Do you run through each day on the fly?  
When you ask 'How are you?'  Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head?  
Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch?  Let a good friendship die?  
Just call to say 'Hi?
When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....Thrown away.....
Life is not a race Take it slower.  
Hear the music before the song is over.

I quit my job yesterday. 

My son looked up at me from his place on the kitchen floor one night last week and said, "Do you have to go to work every day this summer?"

My heart broke.  I love my kids and they are growing up way to fast right before my eyes.  I run myself ragged every day of the week with no time to just stop and appreciate the little people that they are right this moment. 

Like most people, I work full-time (8:30 to 5:00 Monday thru Friday).  My kids get picked up from school by a daycare provider and spend the next couple of hours playing with their friends, watching movies, or playing video games.  I pick them up, take them home and the routine starts.  Do homework at the counter while I start dinner, eat dinner, get ready for bed, tuck the kids in, work on laundry or dishes, and then spend a little bit of down time watching tv with Hubby until I fall asleep on the couch.  Get up and go to bed around 11pm.  Repeat the next day. 

While this schedule works for most people and for a lot it has to work, it's not working for me.  Or for my family.  Much of that time spent with my kids is time that I am grouchy because I have spent my entire day doing very little and then feel bombarded by the messy house and the loud children.  It's not a good situation and it no longer works for us. 

I've mentioned before that both of my kids are in grief counseling at school, however, did I mention that Bubba has been getting bullied?  Terribly?  To the point of constant headaches from his head being hit against the ground and crying because the playground monitors didn't believe he was not to blame and punished him instead.  The grief counseling isn't moving along very well for Bubba.  The bullying has been dealt with but still torments my little guy.  Teensy...she's holding everything inside and will one day explode into a fit of crying so large she will flood the town. 

My kids need me.  They need to be raised by me with my ideals in their heads.  With my lessons and my love and my understanding to get them through their days.  That is my role as a parent.  So that is what I must do. 

I quit my job yesterday.  Even with an unstable economy, I chose to take care of my family first.  I chose to live a little lighter and spend dramatically less so that my kids have me to take care of them. 

But they wouldn't let me go.  My employers bent over backward to work something out so that we all can be happy in the long run.  Today, we work out the final details and those will look something like this...

I will work from 8:30 to 2:30 from now until the kids get out of school so that I can be there to pick them up and we can go home and have homework done and dinner made before daddy gets home and we can all enjoy family dinners again that are eaten early enough to spend a little time cuddling on the couch or playing a game. 

This summer, I will work about 10-15 hours a week.  I will come in each day for a couple of hours and my kids will come with me.  They will watch a movie in the back office or play out in the yard and then we will enjoy the summer days together.

Next Fall, I will go back to the 8:30 to 2:30 hours.

My house will be cleaned and organized finally.  We will be able to enjoy family picnics on Daddy's lunch breaks and summertime BBQs on weeknights.  The kids will get to play with their friends.  I will be able to work on an exercise plan, take my dogs for walks and get back to the things I liked doing before I came back to work...like hang with my BFF.

And I will be making only a little less than when I was paying someone else to raise my kids for me. 

I never wanted to be a stay-at-home-mom...until I started working full time and realized that I was missing a lot.  And now I am really excited to still be able to provide a little extra money for my family while still being the caretaker, teacher, and mommy to my babies. 

I quit my job yesterday...and it worked out to my advantage.  :)

When is it considered TMI?

My Dear Hubby calls me every day at lunchtime.  Yeah, I know, it's sweet.  Well, I think it's sweet until I really start to analyze and remember all of the arguing we had over him getting a cell phone to begin with.  His "I'll never, ever carry it" attitude.  His snide comments about "even more money" going out the window on a monthly basis.  His "I won't even know how to use it" antics.  Grrr!  Now he gets twice as many calls and three times more text messages than I do!  Damn men!  Man.  Whatever.  But then I start to think about all the texts he sends me just to say hi or he misses me or he loves me.  And I think about the calls at lunchtime and then I get all mushy brained and romantic feeling because I have this husband that actually cares.  *sigh* 

Oh, I am pretty sure that isn't the point of this post. 

So, let me get to the point.  Or at least edge my way a bit closer. 

Today, Dear Hubby called just like always.  He's heading to the bank to make a deposit before he rushes home to grab a bite to eat and heads back to work. 

I bombard him with news on Little Sis.  They've made it to Italy.  Their luggage didn't arrive with them.  They have no change of clothes.  Her husband had to sign in on post (Army) to get them a hotel room and they made him actually go to work.  Yes!  On the same day they arrived!  Hotel has windows that won't close or she can't figure out how to close and a heater that she must keep baby away from.

He tells me about the kids' dentist appointments this morning.  Both got a cleaning.  Both got a Flouride treatment (the cheap one and not the expensive last-longer one).  Teensy saw the dentist...has a few cavities but teeth look good.  Bubba needs to brush better.  Bubba has a follow-up appointment to take care of a filling (I tell him).  Teensy will need another appointment but I will need to call and schedule it. 

All in all, a normal conversation for a lunch hour (well, minus the occasional bitching about a passive aggressive nuisance that shall remain nameless!).  And it is all wrapped up with "I love you" and "I may be home late" and click. 

I go out to bring in the mail. 

I come back in to realize my phone is vibrating on my desk.  I answer.  It's the Hubby.

"Talked to brother 2 the other day.  Cemetery plots by Mom and Dad's are set to go up in price and they are almost out of spaces to buy.  Family bought a bunch.  Brother 2 and wife, brother 1 and wife, sister...all got some.  Will hold some for us.  Do you want a cemetery plot, my dear?"  (Okay, so I paraphrased that a little bit but you get the point.)

Visualize this...I am standing in front of a bulletin board pulling tacks and Hubby asks me if I, a 28 year old, relatively healthy woman, would like to choose where I want to spend my dead days.  I am pretty sure that after my jaw hit the floor, I stuck a tack in my eye.  Blood spurted onto the bulletin board and I now have to remake all of the flyers on the computer using only the one eye that is not now covered in a pirate patch.

You're right.  *sigh*  I didn't.  What I did do was gasp in horror and try to squelch the rising panic attack at the thought that I will someday...eventually and hopefully when I am extremely old and fragile...die and at that time my family will need to know what to do with my body.  I. CAN'T. THINK. ABOUT. THAT. RIGHT. NOW!  *breathe in, breathe out*

I calmly and rationally tell Dear Hubby that I cannot and will not make such a decision today and that if he is certain that is where he wants to be buried then he should feel free to go ahead and purchase himself a plot.  *breathe in, breathe out*

Crises averted.  For today. 

I then, in retaliation for making me face my own mortality today, call him back to tell him about what happened on The Bachelor last night (even though we never watch that show and have only seen the few minutes where he told Melissa he didn't want her) and end the conversation with...

"And OMG!  Little Sis got her period today and bled all over the only pants she has with her!  What?  Why is that relevant?  Because she got her period at the same time that I did...on the other side of the world!  Isn't that neat?"

Do you think that was too much information?

To tide you over...and allow me some rest.

I know that I have been MIA. I kind of apologize but really, I am too damn tired for that nonsense. I just can't keep up.

I got back from my trip on Monday evening and had to work yesterday and today (as well as, tomorrow and Friday--what happened to a day or two to recover from vacation?). Last night I had a Girl Scout meeting and Miss Quiet wasn't in attendance because her grandma had a heart attack yesterday (thoughts are with you girl!) so I ran it myself. Wouldn't you know that all of my girls would be there and the meeting would be scheduled to be held with another troop. We made it through despite the case of the missing girl (that was solved) pretty much unscathed. And of course, to top that off, it was Tuesday which is a wrestling practice night so I had to arrange for someone to take Bubba for me.

Anyway...today you should be getting a recap of my trip, right? Um, no. Today, you will be getting this.

It was totally stolen from Amy who stole it from Kapgar.

And I will work on a recap of my awesome trip for tomorrow. I am dying to show you pictures of the best hotel bed I have ever had the opportunity to spend a mere four hours sleeping in. :)

Try Me

Bold = want to try; bold strikeout = done

1. Started my own blog (And here it is!)
2. Slept under the stars (while camping but never outside of a tent that I can recall)
3. Played in a band (I played a doumbek drum in a band called "Dunromi" for a couple of years)
4. Visited Hawaii (Would totally love to go)
5. Watched a meteor shower (Yep, took the kids outside of town where it was dark but didn't see a whole lot.)
6. Given more than I can afford to charity (Okay, maybe not more than I can afford but I do give quite generously a lot.)
7. Been to Disneyland/World (Been there, Done that...can't seem to find a picture.)
8. Climbed a mountain

(We climbed that mountain for Bubba's Birthday this last year. It's actually a Butte but it was so far to walk!)

9. Held a praying mantis
10. Bungee jumped
11. Sung a solo (I sang a duet once, rather badly, and danced a solo but never really sung one.)
12. Visited Paris

((Okay so this isn't really in Paris. It's the Paris Hotel in Vegas and I didn't really even visit there, I just saw it while driving down the street. But it was beautiful!)

13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch (knitting on the Knifty Knitter, counted cross-stitch, scrapbooking, etc.)
15. Adopted a child
16. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
17. Had food poisoning
18. Grown my own vegetables (In my mom's garden and I tended my step-grandma's garden a lot when I was younger.)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (Totally wanted to do this today but couldn't bring myself to do it when I had so much stuff to catch up on.)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb (I fed over 100 bum lambs ever morning and night by bottle when I was younger.)
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

(Sunset while driving home from my sister's house last summer.)

31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (Am planning on taking a Disney Cruise for a few days and then spending a few days at Disney World in a couple of years.)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person (I adore waterfalls!)
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language (Am still working on the German thing!)
37. Had enough money to be satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing (but never climbed a rock wall)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David (I did see a naked statue with a huge thingy while in Vegas though.)
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

(After the sun went down, it got dark, and we stayed and hung out at the Pier so I kinda walked the beach in the moonlight.)

46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain (Yes, I have done this.)
53. Played in the mud (Don't really like to but have done it.)
54. Been in a movie (Almost was an extra once but I didn't think fast enough!)
55. Gone to a drive-in movie (Took my husband for the very first time not that long ago.)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China (My son would like to walk on it.)
57. Started a business (I have been self employed with two different companies now--Creative Memories and NatureRich.)
58. Taken a martial arts class (I am signing up for a Community Ed Women's Self-Defense class this summer.)
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies (Several times and guess what? It's Girl Scout Cookie Time! We start selling on February 6th!!!)

62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason (My husband is good at this sometimes.)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (Don't do it anymore because it makes me sick when I do so Hubby would prefer that I didn't.)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (I still have my blankie from when I was a kid and that was my favorite thing in the world.)
70. Pieced a quilt (Am still working on finishing up two that I started.)
71. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
72. Eaten caviar (EWWWWWW!)
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (Is it possible that I sit behind House when I do this? Maybe? Please!)

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand-new car (I'll take a New Pontiac sports car please.)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper (I think I did for National Honor's Society once.)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (Ew, ew, ew! I did this with chikens and hated every single moment of it!)
87. Visited the White House
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Met someone famous

91. Sat on a jury
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one (If you don't know this you haven't been reading very well.)
94. Had a baby (Two of them actually.)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (Not big on swimming in lakes.)
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Been stung by a bee
99. Ridden an elephant (I think I did at a circus once.)
100. Owned a cell phone

He's a go-getter...finally.

The stench of sweat, musty heat and dirty water almost knocked me out as I walked into the room and instructed my kids to not step on the mats with their wet snow boots.

Why do I subject myself to this again?

We made our way to an empty spot on the wall, with Teensy holding her nose and whining about the stench. I pulled the special shoes out of the backpack and it took me 10 minutes with my face entirely too close to feet smelling no better than dying flesh to cram them onto him.

Why do I subject myself to this again?

An hour and a half of stifling heat, a wet smell and a bunch of boys with odd groping hands slamming their opponents into the rubber mats and I was entirely convinced that this sport was my very least favorite of all. I would much rather be sitting on the sidelines of a football game with my ass frozen to a metal bleacher. And if you know me at all, you know I don't deal well with cold.

Why do I subject myself to this again?

Oh yeah. The kid.

The kid who put much determination in his little inactive, video game playing body and made it through an exercise routine with little to no whining and buckets of sweat. An exercise routine that would wind even the most athletic of the parents carefully watching from the sidelines.

Yeah, my kid. Because he wants to do this and he wants to be good at this. It's his choice and he is doing his very best even though his little body aches and aches and aches. He doesn't complain...for the first time. He is tired and sore and he looks at me with eyes that plead, "Mom, this is torture" but he still continues on.

And I sat there with my butt glued to a hard floor, a bored little girl clinging to my arm, a loud whistle assaulting my ears at sporadic intervals and a smell that will for sure take a gallon of Clorox to get rid of.

Because of him. My little man. My Bubba.

Yep. He's a wrestler now.

And I'm a proud momma. Even if he never wins a single bout. Er, match? Yeah, I think it's called a match. Right? Hey! No one said I couldn't be a proud momma even if I know absolutely nothing about why those boys are out there trying to keep their "weinies off the mat"* or why they are wearing leotards just like Teensy does for dance only in a different color.

And really? I am just in it for the cool shirts! Bubba's even has his last name on the back. Now how neat is that!

*That is seriously what the coach told the boys when trying to teach them how to get out of a Half Nelson at practice last night. i just about died laughing! That is until I noticed the other parents staring and then I muzzled myself in an effort to not embarrass my kid.

Official Holiday Recap...complete with Naughty Nutcrackers...

I bitched and whined and cried a lot about Christmas, didn't I? It's okay. You can say it. The truth. I did. I know it.

I'm not sorry. But at least I admit that I was a big baby this year.
That is not to say that my holiday was a good one. Far from it. It was stressful, hard, tearful and I barely survived through it. But I did and now that it is over, I can focus on the silver linings that brought a smile to my heart (even if not to my face) and appreciate the holiday for what it was...different.

As I was scanning through my photos this morning (admittedly many, many less than were taken in previous years) I came across a few that gave me a moment of joy at the memories that came slamming back into my brain. Memories and moments that I couldn't recall just a few short days ago as I was chest deep in sorrow and doing a wonderful job of wallowing in the pit.

((I should take a pause to apologize for what I am sure has been absolutely rotten behavior on my part to all who know me, talk to me or read my blog. I am back, I am better...I am now PMSing, so please be careful.))

So here they are folks. The top memories of Christmas 2008 (in no particular order) which is just another way of saying "The only things that made me think of smiling "...

Picture of my kids with their Great Grandpa. We weren't having a cheese button dinner at his trailer house surrounded by the Christmas Village and dozens of family members. We were instead in a cold and stark room in a nursing home surrounded by staff ready to take him to the dining room but all the same, he helped bring Christmas cheer for a few moments. And if nothing else, I will always have this picture to share with my kids.

 

Oh look!  The Nutcrackers have been so naughty that the kids put them in the corners to serve their Time-Out punishments.  When I came back through the kitchen I saw that the one on the left must have needed to pee so my son used a nearby Easter bucket so that he wouldn't piss on the carpet!

Oh, yes...who could forget this?  Lady K was in need of some holiday spirit so my mom and I planned a Christmas Goodie baking day.  As we finished each tray of goodies, we placed them on my bed (having no where else to put them).  This is Lady K taking a picture of our finished progress.  I was so busy yelling at her ("Don't you dare fall on all of that hard work!!! Get down at once!") that I didn't get a picture of the actually goodies.  I spent the rest of the evening singing "I smell sex and candy,  yeah..." in my head!

Dear Hubby helping Teensy put the angel on the tree.  It was just too sweet to not smile for a moment. 

That for the first time ever, my Step-Dad may have actually loved a gift he got from us...a book of history about trains and the area in which we live. 

 

 My kids did a wonderful job helping with the blue bag pick up for the food drive.  They enjoyed giving to others in need as much as dear Hubby and I had hoped they would. 

My puppies absolutely got into the Christmas Spirit and enjoyed the toys they got from us.  It was hard to keep them from fighting over them though after Lasey chewed the squeaky out of hers right away.

Bubba's XBOX came in to a nearby town at 10 pm on Christmas Eve and my mom drove the 30 mile to pick it for us.  THANKS MOMMY!  WE OWE YOU BIG TIME AND WILL NEVER FORGET IT!

Teensy's doll house was so tall she stood on the coffee table to open it.  Apparantly this is the best photo I got of her and it. 

Hubby adored his gift...he HAS been asking for it for several years and I finally was able to find exactly what he wanted.

I loved my gifts, too.  Best of all was the "Twilight" book and the mega expensive perfume that I have been out of for several months.  Thanks for listening, honey!

So that's that.  The best memories of Christmas 2008.  I guess I was able to smile a bit and enjoy myself at times.  However, you may not have noticed (although I surely did) that there are no pictures from Christmas with Hubby's family.  That's because for me it sucked.

Christmas greetings...prescheduled...then accidentally posted. Argh!!!

Merry Christmas to everyone. I may pop in this weekend but if all goes according to plan I am going to spending some much needed time with my little family of four.

Please send out good thoughts that...

• Bubba's XBOX came in the mail in time to wrap it for Christmas morning.
• We were able to successfully replace the gift that Santa got for Teensy that a sister-in-law ended up buying, as well, and telling us about the night before Christmas Eve when it was impossible to drive all the way to Walmart.
• Dear Hubby decided to go against his bosses wishes, not be the only one at work and be home with me and the kids for our own family togetherness day on Friday, thus giving me something to look forward to.
• The ham I make to be good and if not at least be edible and everyone be too nice to say a word to the contrary.
• The appetizer dinner is as good as I have built it up to be in my mind.
• There are no more fights, arguments, or tears and that the whining be kept to a minimum.
• Santa remembers to eat the cookies, drink the milk and blow up the snow tubes he's leaving.

Enjoy your holiday, everyone. And if you don't, let me know...they say misery loves company.

Are they born that way?

At 9 am the  Boy Scouts in the area were meeting to deliver blue grocery bags to the doors of every house in every neighborhood in town in hopes of getting the community to donate to the local food bank for the holidays.  Bubba was one of those boys.

He had made the choice to stay up past midnight the night before knowing full well that he would have to rise early to complete this Boy Scout task and yet, there it was 8:30 in the morning and he was complaining about needing more sleep. 

His response to the eighty-seventh round of "Get up now!" was "I am quitting Boy Scouts."

I knew this was coming.  Bubba is the only boy in his rank because of a lack of leaders and several boys not returning after last year.  Dear Hubby does his best to include Bubba in everything with other boys so that he can enjoy his Boy Scouting experience but it has just become too much of a hassle.  Too much time strain on the day and not enough activity to keep Bubba's interest. 

My response was, "You don't have to be in Boy Scouts if you don't want to.  You can drop out.  Tomorrow.  Today you are going to go help people in need of your help so get out of bed."

The conversation that followed...I guess it couldn't be termed a conversation as I talked and he barely tried to keep his eyes open...rolled off my tongue easily as I had been explaining the same principle to my Girl Scouts only days before. 

"There are people, kids, in this world that have nothing to eat.  The blue bags you deliver today will be filled with food for those people."

Slight nod from the half asleep child.

"Those people, kids, don't have any money and the adults don't have any jobs to get money."

Eyes closing.

"Since they have no money and money is necessary to buy food, they don't have any food to eat either."

Sliding to the floor.  Okay this isn't working.  Another Tactic.

"Do you see all of these toys here?"

Eyes open wide at the mention of toys.

"They were all bought because mommy and daddy have jobs and make money so that you can have everything you need and some of the things you want.  What if you didn't have any of these toys?  What if you went hungry every day because you had no food and I couldn't buy you any?  How would that make you feel?"

"Sad."  Yay!  Progress!

"You don't want others to be sad either right?  So you go do this project, help those kids who are living on the streets and have no food, and after it's all done and over with you can quit Boy Scouts and focus on your wrestling instead."

"I don't want to go!"  Said, of course, in a whiny voice.

"How about I take all your toys away since you are an ungrateful little cuss?  How about that?  How about I give them to children that will actually appreciate all the money that was spent on them and not mistreat and lose them?  Huh?  How about I do that?"

I stomped out of the room at that point and Bubba proceeded to get dressed for the day.  A few minutes later, he found me in the bathroom and I asked him if he was going.  "Yes," he said. 

"Because you want to help people who have nothing or because I said I would take away all your toys?"

"I want my toys."

I blew a gasket.  I stormed through the house and spent the next 10 minutes crying in my room.  How is it that I raised such an enormously selfish 8 year old?  Really.  I am deeply disturbed by this fact. 

Was he raised this way or was he born with a selfish gene that I cannot change within him? 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My kids have everything they need in life.  They have warm clothes to wear in the winter and swimsuits for the summer.  They have food on the table at night and in their lunch boxes during the day.  They have a roof over their heads and love in their hearts.  They have all of that and a lot more.  We shower them with love every day.  They have toys to play with and books galore to read.  They have all they need and much more.  Because the children come first.  Their safety, well being and happiness is what matters.  They are spoiled to a point but not as much as they could be. 

I despise those people that purchase video game systems, and other electronics as well as cigarettes and booze when their children don't have snow pants to wear to school or gloves for their hands.  Those parents that put their selves and their needs before those of the children.  Those that buy their way into the hearts of children through gifts trying to make up for lack of or bad parenting skills.  Grow up.  Get it together.  Put them first for a change.  

This is what my son will be getting for Christmas this year.

 

Why is it okay for me to buy this for him?  Because he has everything he needs in life.  Because he is a good kid and deserves to be rewarded.  Because the video game system he plays on now is a Nintendo.  Yes, one of those ancient, original Nintendos and that itself was a hand me down.  Definitely not purchased new.  And the games were gifts from people we know who had upgraded to a bigger and better Video Game Console.  However, the XBOX that Bubba is getting is also most definitely not a new one.  My sister happened to have one that needed some fixing and with the help of my other sister, it is now ready for him to have and will be in the mail next week.  It is complete with controllers and games for about $60.  So when other parents are spending in excess of $200 to buy their children the newer XBOX 360 or a Wii, my little man is getting a hand-me-down old XBOX instead.  And other than one small gift, that is all he gets from his parents for Christmas. 

My daughter?  She'll be getting this from us...

It's a little much but it's perfect for her and will be used a fuckton so it's worth it.  And it comes with several rooms of furniture and the dolls AND she can use it to play with her Littlest Pet Shop Animals, too!  Yay!  Totally worth it.  Plus we got it on sale so that is always good. 

And, of course, that little one deserves a great gift for Christmas.  With all of her hard work at Girl Scouts with the Care Packages and the adopt-a-family, she understands the meaning of "Giving" and is always ready to help others.  It's just in her nature. 

Which brings me back to the original question...are they just born that way?

Ever seen a tree's top fall off? You soon will!

The moronic wonderful music teacher decided to do the first and second grade Christmas Programs on the same night this year. And she decided to bore us to death grace those of us with a kid in each grade two of the exact same programs! Yippee!

The evening started out with a mad dash to the daycare at 4:30 to pick up the kids. Miss Insanity's kids are in first grade with Teensy so she was closing early so that she could be to the theater in time for the program. I got the kids loaded into the van and sped down the road (which was starting to get icy!) to the local Pizza Hut to pick up the three personal pans that I had ordered before leaving work. The concert was to start at 6:00 with the first graders needing to be there half hour early to get in costume. There are probably 100 kids in each grade and about 300 seats in the theater. It is not uncommon around here for one's whole family to come watch them in a program (siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts, cousins, unlce Ted that always asks you to pull his finger) so I wanted to get a good seat early.

I pulled the van up to the CarryOut window and told them my name. Our pizza had four minutes to go before it was completely cooked so I made small talk with the kids mentioning what kind of pizzas I had ordered for them. Doofus that I apperantly am, I ordered the wrong pizza for the Bubba Boy. He wanted Hawaiian not the Supreme. Strike 1 against the evening! We got our pizzas and made our way over the slick roads to the community center to save our seats in the theater.

I set the kids up at a table with their pizzas, proceded to buy them overpriced pops at the concession stand and then went into the theater and threw our coats and their backpacks onto the seats I thought would be the best in the house. Of course, Bubba would be performing on stage left and teensy on stage right so we had to sit in the middle and hope for the best view of each.

I went back out to scarf down my pizza with the kids and Bubba informed me that he lost his shirt that was needed for the program. WHAT? DAMMIT! We, as parents, were instructed to make sure our children had the correct outfits to go under their costumes. Teensy needed a red or a green outfit. Bubba needed a long sleeved black shirt and pants. I purchased Teensy's whole outfit and the shirt for Bubba the week before the program and had them hanging in the closets so that they would be clean when the time came. Losing his shirt was not a good development! Strike 2 against my evening. Bubba then calmly informed me that even though he had lost his brand new shirt, he had one to wear for the program. The music teacher had found one for him to wear (Great! The body odor and germy germs of some other sniffling kid!). I calmed down a bit and we continued on with our pizza.

As soon as Bubba was done with his food, I asked him to get into his outfit so that he would be ready when the time came. He said it was in his backpack bu lo and behold when I opened it there was nothing there! After frantic calls to Miss Insanity to check her daycare house and her Suburban, I resigned myself to the fact that his outfit was left at school. ARGH! Strike 3 of the evening! I immediately called Dear Hubby and told him of the situation (almost in tears as I am that kind of person) who got off work early and rushed home to see what he could find in the dirty clothes pile house. Once again, I calmed down a little. (Please ignore the fact that I am wound a little tight sometimes and the fact the slightest hiccup in my schedule can sometimes make me cry!)

All in all, the crises was averted when Hubby showed up 15 minutes before the program started with a faded black sweatshirt and a pair of black slacks! Whew! At least he wouldn't look like too much of a dork up there on stage and we wouldn't have to smell him down in the audience so all was well. And my mom showed up two minutes before the program started and was able to get her seat before the lights were turned down! Yay! Another good thing!

Teensy's program started at 6 pm and she was an elf this year. An adorable one at that. She enjoyed the program immensely as she likes to sing and dance and she is so adorable that people are soooo going to love her up there. She was wonderful! She is the little girl in red in between the boy in white (Miss Insanity's son) and the boy next to Santa (the infamous Trevor of Mom Hotness Fame!).

Bubba's program started at 7:30 and he was a tree. I learned last year at about this time that my son may be meant for the stage...but only as a comedian. This year he proved my theory correct. The video I wanted to upload was too big so you get this one instead. Bubba is one the right hand side in the trees and is the one that seems to have springs on his feet and an issue with his mouth staying closed.

One way or another, it was an entertaining night. And even though I sat in that theater from 5 pm until almost 9 pm with only about 2 hours of that actually watching children perform, it was well worth it to sit in the audience and and ooh and aah and my daughter's cuteness and then almost pee myself with laughter at the antics of my son.

Outfits for the children to wear: $20
Dine and Dash at Pizza Hut: $15
Time spent in the theater: 4 hours
Having videos like this to show my children's future spouses: PRICELESS!

Betcha didn't know...

I have been totally MIA for the last four days!

I wrote five blog entries on Wednesday and pre programmed them to run on the right day! I am just soooo good. You never even knew did ya? :)

Here's what I have been up to...in pictures because I am still recovering and have a million things to do this week!!!

I made my contribution for the Thanksgiving feast...

...and everyone loved it, of course.

I let my daughter loose with my camera...

...and marveled at the results.

Lady K and I went Black Friday shopping...

...at 4 am!

We took the kids to a Parade of Lights...

...and laughed at Palm Trees at Christmas.

We went on our annual Tree Hunt excursion...

...and had to be pushed and pulled out of the snow!

And then my camera batteries died...

...but not before I took these!

The truth is that I didn't enjoy the past four days all that much as I was living them. But looking back at the pictures now, I realize that I need to pull my head out of my ass and get in the holiday spirit. So what if things have changed? So what if it's harder than hell to get out of bed and face the day sometimes? Do you see these pictures? Yeah. Me too. Life is for living and living is good. I am thankful for my life and my family...even if it is a few days late.

Lazy, daisy days, dreaming of poetry...

I promise I will quit playing in the paint program after this one. Bubba brought home a book from his reading class the other night titled Dinosaur Dinner with a collection of poems by Dennis Lee and there were a few that I just had to share. I love children's poetry and I had never heard of this guy before. His poetry was fun.

The Butterfly

Butterfly,
Butterfly,
Life’s
a Dream;

All that we
See,
And all that we
Seem,

Here for a
Jiffy
And then
Goodbye—

Butterfly,
Butterfly,
Flutter
On by.

Here's another...

Doctor, Doctor

Doctor, doctor, fix my head:
I’m feeling sick and I’ll soon be dead!

Little girl, little girl, drink some juice:
You think too much and your brain’s come loose.


Doctor, doctor, here’s a dime:
You saved my life for the forty-second time.


That one was surely written just for me considering my total hypochondriac tendencies!


And the last...

Three Tickles

Pizza, pickle
Pumpernickel,
My little guy
Shall have a tickle:


One for his nose,
And one for his toes,
And one for his tummy
Where the hot dog goes.


My kids really are too big for this but Teensy adored it the other night. Especially when I personalized it just for her!

OMG...I had fun in the snow! What is wrong with me?

WHAT WE DID TODAY!!!

Coming through the tunnel daddy made.

Redneck Sledding...in a box! (we haven't purchased new sleds since they broke last winter)

Me and the Hubby out in the snow. Sun is shining but the snow is still here.

Playing in the snow after dark...Dear Hubby going down the "hill".

Me going down the "hill".

Bubba...it wasn't cold out, just got wet from the snow.

Teensy going down the "hill".

LOTS OF FUN!

You might be a redneck if...

You give your grandson a set of these for his 8th birthday...

Yes, folks.  I am aware that the above picture is of cut off  cow hooves.  I am also quite aware that the normal eight year old boy doesn't get cow hooves for his birthday.

All I can say is...we live in a rural environment, she had just butchered a cow to fill her freezer and at least I am not showing you a picture of the cow nuts that I was expecting him to get.  :)

 

And, yes...they went into the garbage can after he showed everyone in the family!  We aren't quite gross enough to display such awful things!

Updating the Emptiness...

Today, it's been five months.  And that is all I will say about that.

                                   --------------------------------------------

I was looking forward to an evening of ease and tv gazing for the first time in seriously two weeks, however, looking around my house this morning, I realized that wasn't going to happen. 

Despite the fact that I will have an extra set of children over to play tonight and therefore, two more mouths to feed dinner to, I am really looking forward to just being in my house. 

The time spent there will include making dinner for 6 while cleaning the kitchen and dining room of all the clutter, paperwork, mail, school papers, projects and groceries that just never got put away.  It will also include folding several hundred baskets of laundry that have been haphazardly dropped upon my bedroom floor and then consequently putting said clothing away where it belongs.  And, of course, we can't forget the eight thousand boxes of newly acquired memorabilia, decorations, and miscellaneous odd stuff that have taken over the living room--it all needs to be sorted and stored away in the colorful totes I bought last week. 

But you know what?  I am ready.  I will be home...in my own house...and doing things on MY TERMS, so I am ready to tackle the monstrosity that my house has become after over two weeks of pure neglect. 

Of course, tomorrow night I have a meeting to attend and this weekend seems to be filled up as well, so I will take what few moments I can get in my safe place before I head back into the big, mean world to carry out my tasks.  Fun, fun, fun.

                                 -----------------------------------------

More updates:

I am getting a cold and therefore, an ear infection that is killing my head.  I feel like there is water sitting on my ear drum and nothing has helped it so far.

I had a chiropractor appointment yesterday morning and found out that my left shoulder had rotated forward in it's socket due to a climb up a nearby mountain last weekend (pics to follow later).  Today the shoulder doesn't hurt but the lower back feels like crap.  I have to go back to visit the chiropractor on Monday.

We went grocery shopping last night at Wal-Mart and spent $292.00.  We joked with the cashier about starting up a charge account since we spend so much in that damn store.  Apparently, we are not the only ones...she just has them keep every paycheck because she knows she'll spend it there anyway!

Bubba's 8th birthday was on Saturday and he received a very interesting gift from his grandma.  It deserves it's own post.  Look for it later this week.

Some of my family members were in town over the weekend.  It was an okay time.  Except that my nephew got together with my hubby's nephew and the two of them egged a house one night.  One of them got picked up by the cops.  Argh!  I don't remember being in that much trouble OR doing stuff that dumb when I was young.  Well, maybe I do...  That might be an interesting blog post!

                                         -----------------------------------------

That's about it for right now.  I am going to get back to work and get something accomplished, I think.  Enjoy the little things in your day!  I hope it's not as windy where you are as it is here!

Skeeve says it gets worse...

It has been extremely hard to come up with topics for blog posts around here because my brain hasn't been producing very many coherent thoughts.  I have been home, literally, only to sleep since last Friday and it is starting to take it's toll on me.  The bad thing?  There isn't an end in sight to the never-ending run around that is challenging me right now. 

I missed List Making Tuesday (which has me a bit frazzled, to be honest) and could use a list right now to get my thoughts in order so that I can proceed with this week...and the next.  So, in an effort to get myself together, here we go.

To start with, here is what I have been up to...

*Girl Scouts has officially begun.  I have taken an more active co-leader position this year which means that I am the one hunting down parents for signatures instead of just showing up to meetings.  The other leader was unable to attend the first meeting and therefore made it a bit more difficult to introduce the new members of the troop as well as get out all information that the girls and parents needed to start the fall fundraising sale. 

*I became the Product Manager for this area of Girl Scouts which means that I have to make sure and get all local troop leaders all information regarding the Fall fundraiser, enter all of their information in the computer when the sale is over, make sure that the troop leaders, as well as, all parents, pick up the stuff they sell for delivery and dole out all incentives earned (which will all be delivered to my house and must be sorted and organized by yours truly).

*Helping my daughter sell nuts, candies and magazine subscriptions to raise money for her Girl Scout troop.  She has high hopes in the way of incentives and I in turn have high hopes in the amount of money we raise for our activities. 

*School Conferences.  Yep, it is already time to check in with those teachers to see how the kids are faring.  I speak with Teensy's teacher all the time because her daughter is one of my Girl Scouts, so there was nothing new to learn there.  Bubba is doing well.  The only issue is he is a little talkative sometimes and really if you know me at all that will come as absolutely no surprise to you.  All in all, good reports.

*Dear hubby's sisters are visiting from their respective foreign countries for a few weeks.  This, of course, means family time.  We got together with extended family for the traditional Cheese Buttons dinner last Saturday and will be having a family dinner in a nearby town this Friday. 

*The biggest time consumer and most stressful thing right now is that we are going through my Mother-in-Laws possessions.  Cleaning out the house for Dad by divvying up the things that he doesn't want sitting around in whatever new house he finds to buy and move into in an effort to move on with life, I guess.  Isn't it too soon, you ask?  Um, yes...in my opinion.  But I don't have a say.  We have been at Dad's five out of the last 6 days and will be there tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday as well.  We may get a break on Monday but it seems unlikely.

*I have also attended a Cooking Show with my Mom, a Spaghetti dinner with the in-laws, helped with a garage sale at my office, tried to work on laundry, planned a birthday party for my son, dealt with a broken down refrigerator and living out coolers for three days, and made sure that both kids were fed, bathed (occasionally) and had their homework done every night. 

The things that I still have coming up and things that I need to make sure get done include...

*Getting several parents to sign the correct permission forms for the Girl Scouts fall fundraiser since they all completed the wrong one due to a lack of communication on the part of some higher up in the organization...and definitely not me!

*Help my mom put together a float for her business for the Homecoming parade next Friday and then be in that parade with her to hand out pens for promotions.

*Attend a Girl Scout meeting and a nephew's family get-together birthday party on the same night at the same time.  Not quite sure how to pull that one off yet. 

*Finish out the last 5 days of the marathon "Divvy up Mom's Things" session before the sisters finally leave for their respective foreign countries...which is just in time for my siblings to roll into town for four more days of family togetherness!  Yipp-fricking-ee!!

*Enjoy a date night out with my hubby to see the wonderfully funny Carlos Mencia...that is if I don't fall asleep from sheer exhaustion or keel over from the amazing stress that is weighing down on my shoulders.  Oh yeah, and of course, IF we remember to find a babysitter between now and then!

*Take my son to Chuck E. Cheese's with four of his best friends (and my daughter and one of her friends because we have to be somewhat fair) to celebrate the fact that he is turning 8 years old and sit eating so-so pizza and drinking flat cola while they terrorize the small establishment for hours on end all while hoping that they pass out from exhaustion by the time we leave so that we have a quiet trip back home.

*Finish a project that I started for my friend in Iraq (Hi Jennifer!!!) so that she has something to keep her company and show her that we love her and are thinking about her all the time and get it in the mail so that it can reach her before hell freezes over before she goes back home sooner instead of later.

*Performing our cleaning job twice, purchase two children's birthday gifts and cards for two adults, keep up on the laundry, housecleaning and homework, keep the children bathed and fed regularly, pay the upcoming bills, hike a mountain, attend a birthday party for an ailing Grandparent and write a letter to another, plus run children to scouts, school, dance, daycare and home and keep the family happy with our attendance record at family functions...AND IT MUST ALL BE DONE  in the few hours that exist between the time I get off work and the time I collapse into bed to sleep fitfully.

Just a side note:  The above has all occurred or will occur between October 1st and October 19th.  After the 19th, I have one more Girl Scout meeting as well as a Leader Meeting, two Boy Scout meetings, a wedding, two dance classes, and a lot of  Product Manager duties to do (since the fundraiser ends on the 20th).  Plus I have to make a Halloween costume and buy candy, decorate for the holiday, take my kids Trick-or-Treating, bake goodies and help out at Bubba's class party and purchase three more adult birthday cards all before OCTOBER 31ST!!!

Anyone care to trade schedules???  Anyone???  No.  Damn.

Oh, what's with the title, you ask?  It's a reference to one of my favorite quotes from Robert Aspirin's M.Y.T.H series of books:

"When things are blackest, I just tell myself 'cheer up, things could be worse!' And sure enough, they get worse!"                                                                                                - Skeeve

That, dear readers, is my life.  *sigh* 

What does an 8 year old think of the election?

Okay, so first of all, he's not 8 yet.  I keep telling people he's 8 already and yet we have another couple of weeks before his birthday.  Why am I trying to make him grow up so fast? 

Anyway, on to the actual topic of this post...

Who will my 8-year old vote for in the upcoming election?

"I hope that Obam guy doesn't  win this voting thing we have coming up.  He's gonna get rid of all the guns and bullets and shut down all the gun stores."

Um, my guess is that my son will be voting for McCain. 

Disclaimer:  This is just how my son's brain works.  He is extremely interested in being in the military when he grows up.  He has never played cops and robbers, it's always been GI Joes and war.  He wasn't allowed to play with guns (even water guns) in our home until he was about 6 years old and has never been allowed video games that are violent in nature. 

Bubba is quite a bit ahead of me in this election process.  I have no clue which candidate would be better for our country!

Favorite Children's book of all time...

Michelle over at My Semblance of Sanity just hit her 300th blog post!  Wow!  I haven't yet hit that 100 mark so that is quite an accomplishment on her part.  Anyway, Michelle is a children's book writer and she has asked the readers of her blog to post about their favorite children's books (of course, there is a contest involved in which even you can win an original piece of artwork done by Michelle---I own one and I love it and they would make wonderful gifts for the upcoming holidays!--just go to her site and read for details.)  So on with my entry!!!

I am having a problem coming up with just one favorite children's book because...well, because I love to read and books are my passion, so I will have to tell you about my top two (Sorry, Michelle, I just couldn't narrow it down any further!).  So here they are...

This has to be my all-time favorite in poetry books.  I am sure that it doesn't hold a candle to the classic poets but it's right up my alley.  The reason it's my favorite?  It's all about the memories people, all about the memories...

When I was in sixth grade, I attended a normal elementary school in a very different way than most of the kids.  I was in an experimental "country school classroom" which meant that I was in a regular size classroom in the regular school but with a twist.  There were first through sixth graders all in the same classroom with only three of us in the sixth grade that attended the class.  We were taught the normal sixth grade lessons but also got the hands on experience of helping the younger kids with their learning, meaning that we were teachers as well as students.  We left the comfort of our room to attend D.A.R.E and other special programs with our "regular sixth grade classmates" so as not to miss out on anything special. 

Our principal was a round, gray-haired man and he liked to pay special attention to our classroom because it was such a change of pace.  Every Friday, he would come in to the room and read us poems from "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein using animated gestures and interesting voices.  We always sat in rapt attention; riveted by the man and drawn into the stories within the poems.  I can still to this day, hear his voice in my head reciting "Boa Constrictor".  His willingness to put himself out there in front of us every week fostered a love of reading in my moldable little being. 

Next up, "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street" by Dr. Seuss.  To be fair, you must know that I love just about anything by Dr. Suess (at least the stuff written for children, as I have yet to read all of his more political based adult writing) but this book reminds me of me when I was young.  The tales that the boy comes up with, his imagination running wild, speaks to my inner child like no other book.  I am prone to exaggerations (still to this day) as was the boy in the book and I have this inner voice that always tells me that no one will believe the story I tell about my life because although true, it is beyond some people's grasp of reality can be.  Much to my delight (and sometimes horror), my beloved son has my imagination through and through.  His exaggerations are a bit bigger but the premise is the same and his imagination is great.

Those are my top two favorite children's books.  Both of them take me back to my childhood and you can bet they are both on my bookshelf at home for my own kids to love and enjoy. 

What are your favorites?  Really?  Well, hop on over to My Semblance of Sanity and read the rules and then write up an entry about your faves so that you, too can win some original artwork for the child in you!