Lexi's Loves

Lexi came home shortly after kindergarten started and announced she has three loves. Unsure exactly what she meant I asked her to clarify this.......I was right, she meant boyfriends although she told me in her matter of fact way that they were boys she loved. Uh huh...... you're only in kindergarten. I don't know where she gets it because I wasn't that way....... or at least my crushes were one at a time but I guess she is keeping her options open.

Well, she came home about a month ago and announced she was down to two loves because the one boy said mean things so she no longer loved him. What's funny is she seems to have this rivalry with him now. She wanted us to take her to school early because he normally beats her there and that must have bugged her. We once got to the school and were ready to turn onto the parent drop-off and she disgustingly said, "Ugh! There's his bus!" Norm laughed and said, "Well, I guess he beat you today." She rolled her eyes. She's only six but acts like a teenager!

She made out well with her other two loves on Valentine's Day. They each gave her a special treat including a big choclate Hershey bar. I like that boy! He knows chocolate is the key to a woman's heart! He's a keeper, Lexi!

Tech support and Telemarketers

If there is one thing that annoys me is being on the phone for either tech support or telemarketers. I hate I when I have to try to get to a live voice and you keep getting one menu after another.

The other day I had to call our Internet company and got placed on hold with the most monotonous music playing in the background. I was fighting to keep from nodding off when I realized that companies probably give you this sleep-inducing music hoping you will fall asleep so they don't have to help you....... either that or it's to calm an irate customer down. Either way, it works. The music was boring me to tears.

Another thing is telemarketers. Thank God for the "Do Not Call" List because I don't really have to deal with them much anymore but once I had AT&T call me trying to sell me their plan. The whole ridiculous part of it was the whole time she was talking to me, I could barely hear her and kept having to ask her to repeat herself. Finally, in total aggravation, I told her, "Look! I can't hear you now! What do you think that tells me about your service?!"

There have been interesting calls, however. Once I called a tech support for our printer and the agent and I got to discussing our weather and I noticed he had an accent so I asked him where he was calling from. When he told me India, I was astounded....to actually be holding a conversation with someone from so far away. I thought it was kind of cool, in a way.

This past year we received telephone call about the election. The call was for then candidate Obama. Norm actually got the call and put him on speaker phone for kicks. We were there rolling our eyes at all his promises when he got to the end where it says how the ad was endorsed by him but there was a problem with the tape and it went super fast making his voice go really high. Norm and I burst out in laughter.

The phone can be a good tool but give me email any day!

Doggie Diet

Shortly before Christmas we had taken our chocolate lab, Coby, to the vet for his vaccinations. The vet took one look at his weight of 97 pounds and declared the dog had needed a diet.

No more grazing at his food bowl! No more tidbits being shared under the table. He was to get a ration of one cup of food two to three times a day. They asked how much exercise he got and we told them not much. The kids could not handle him on the leash and I was incapacitated due to a serious illness. I had taken him over the summer before the illness but was forced to stop it.

And I had to admit we were slightly proud of our Newfoundland size dog who was too scared to go down the basement steps, but we listened for the dog's health. The first time I fed him, he didn't touch it thinking he had all day to eat it. He learned when I removed it an hour later that he better learn to eat when served oe he misses out. It has reaped some rewards..... like a lot less acid reflux which was simply gross to clean up. Hopefully when I am cleared from my illness, I can start walking him again. We both need the weight loss!

Winter Weigh-In Woes!

I've got it! I figured out the secret! The question? Why can't women lose weight over the winter? The answer is the best kept secret of the chocolate manufacturers. The simple truth hit me today as I was scarfing down my twenty-something piece of Valentine's Day choclate.The answer is as plain as the chubby nose on your face. HOLIDAY!

If you think about it, it'a a brillant concept. Create a holiday every four to six weeks so that they keep buying chocolate and junk food. We start out in October with Halloween. Kids come to your door looking for goodies and you take an opportuinity to graze along with them or you might take your child trick-or-treating and a Hershey's Chocolate Bar with Almonds falls out of one of their bags right into your open hand.

Thanksgiving arrives with its own tempting treasures as well as Christmas who also adds a need for choclate for your loved ones's stockings. All those parties and family gatherings loaded with good-will and calories.

In February comes Valentine's Day.....where you are committing a cardinal sin by not buying your loved one something sweet. Then six weeks later comes Easter with baskets overflowing with choclate bunnies and marshmallow chicks.

That is why most people lose during the summer. Companies haven't come up with a holiday to celebrate gorging yourself with megagrams of trans-fats. I am willing to bet that the diet companies are in on the weight-loss scam....after all, they are profiting as well. I think I am going to go on a No Chocolate Stirke.....and I think I will start right after Easter

First Time Parents

I have recently started babysitting for an aquaintance of my husband. The baby was born last November and this is their first child. I had to laugh when they showed up with the baby's equipment.....including bottled water for when I had to prepare bottles. I think that was where I got the biggest kick. Took me back to the days of being a first time parent.

When my oldest was born I carefully boiled the water for formula and often prepared enough bottles for two days. Nine years later for my third child I was using tap water for fomula and heating it up in the microwave. My youngest is still living five years later no worse for the wear and I would like to add with a whole lot less visits to the doctor than my first two.

It is so strange how you just learn to let things go as you become more mature and more experienced. You get so innundated with proper ways of doing things that you just can't sit back and enjoy being a parent. Enjoy the ride, I say!

My mother-in-law told me that one of her biggest regrets is caring too much with how the house look instead of concentrating on enjoying her children. And I can see her point! Enjoy the ride! It won't really be that long until they are gone.

You're HOW old?

I just recently celebrated my fortieth birthday. Boy, do I remember when my parents turned forty. They were so old! Now I am forty..... I don't feel old!

My husband decided to throw me a surprise party. I thought that was really sweet of him to do that. I wasn't sure if I wanted a party or not. I don't enjoy being the center of attention. This wallflower enjoys letting someone else do that, but I did appreciate the fact that friends took the time to honor me like that. It just made me feel special.

Turning forty presents certain feelings.....like rethinking your life because you realize that you have reached the midpoint. I've been trying not to dwell on that because I know it tends to make people depressed. Trying, of course is the rather strong key word.

Recently Matt Lauer of the Today Show on NBC turned fifty and he was presented with a membership to the AARP. I couldn't help it. The first thought that popped in my mind was, "Well, you only have ten more years to go!"

And retirement! Only twenty years till that! In twenty years I can pay less to eat or go to the movies or whatever I want. That rather bittersweet thought has yet to develop a delicious taste to savor.

My husband and I are reaching the age where we will soon have to think about long term care for our parents....and then our kids will be doing that for us. Wow! Now THAT'S depressing!Well, my dh hasn't let it get him down. To him, reaching this age means we no longer need to bother with contraception. Go figure! Of course, keep in mind that I married a younger man. He turns forty next year and that may inspire a whole new chapter!

In conclusion, I just would like to ask for prayer for my dear husband as we enter the menopause stage. He's probably gonna' need it!

Dog-Gone It!

Today is New years Eve. Since I had awakened early and planned to stay up till midnight to see the New Year in, I had hoped for a little nap. My kids cooperated giving me space and relative quiet on the couch. Unfortunately COby, our CHocolate Lab, had other ideas. He wanted to play.

I kept getting toys shoved into me from his balls to other chew toys. I was expected to toss them so he could fetch them so I could toss them again. I told him to go away. He did. For about five minutes and then he was back.

Well, after awhile it was quiet but I had a queer feeling so I peeked out from under my lashes.....and saw a pair of brown eyes staring me down. His head was perched next to me on the sofa looking right at me. He realized I was watching and started inching closer to my face. "Dog! So help me, you better not be thinkinb' on kissin' me!"

I closed my eyes and settled back for some Zzzz's and was almost in dreamland floating on a cloud when my chin suddenly got wet....not just wet but slurped! I jumped up, "DOG!" He hightales it for his crate...preferrably the back where I can't reach him.

Decided to just get up and get things up but I swear I could almost read the dog's mind......Sounded a lot like, "Mission accomplished!"

Less For Christmas

When we were in our early stages of parenthood my husband and I would go gift crazy on holidays. Due to fertility issues our children our spread apart in ages so our oldest was five before she was blessed with a sibling. Back then when it came to gift buying we would go crazy. My daughter had every gift imaginable and then some gifts that could not even be imagined. Yet, even after she opened her tons of gifts, I would worry, "Did I buy her enough? Is she happy with everything?" And then there would be all that assembling that we spent most of Christmas Day doing! It just did not make for a fun Christmas.

Three children and ten years later we have wised up. The presents are far less due to economical reasons and far smarter as to need less assembly due to experience but along with that came an added bonus. Peace.

While I was worried the first year when I knew it would be a "slim" one, I learned to go for quality and pick a few things they would really love and play with. The result was more contentment and less stress, something I had not anticipated. In this day of consumerism and commercialism my family has learned to be content with what they have and it has just been such a blessing. While most kids have their Game Cubes, their super Nintentoes, their Wii's - my children have been content with their Game Boy advances. While most teens get their clothes from the Gap on a weekly basis, it seems, my teenage daughter does not even ask. Most of her clothes as well as her siblings, were given to us or bought at a garage sale and she has been content with that. She has friends who get rather generous weekly allowances of over twenty dollars while shedonly gets a fourth of that but we have discovered that there are kids in her circle of friendship who get nothing.

I am glad my children have learned to be content with what they have. The blessing of peace and contentment just makes it so much easier. I would advise anyone who buys their children loads of toys to one year set a limit. Children don't need all that stuff.And living with less with help them appreciate more and become better citizens in the long run.

Teenagers: And These Are The Days Of Their Lives

Having a teenager in the house is an experiment with insanity. My daughter hasn't been too bad thus far but some of the stories she brings home makes me think, "Man!" Teens nowadays have so much drama going on in their lives. It's just overwhelming!
My daughter, Nicole, is trying out for a duet for choir. Most of the boys did not want to try out. Two finally volunteered after much cajoling but neither had good voices. There is a boy with a good voice that would be nice to try out but singing with him would be a social trainwreck. This boy, "Alec", can't try out with Nicole! For Alec likes "Trina" who also likes Alec! Heaven forbid if Alec sang a romantic duet with Nicole! This is only eigth grade! Nicole has no romantic interest in Alec, whatsoever...She just wants to sing but she doesn't want Trina upset with her.
Now, tonight, she tells me that "Susan" is upset with her. Why? Well, Susan recently joined choir in the past two weeks. She never had sung with them before. And now, a week before the concert, Nicole found out from someone that she and Alec may have gotten another duet.....the female part which had been pursued by Susan who only joined the choir......
Makes one glad I am no longer a teenager! Do they give Emmy's for teenage real life drama?

Like Like

My nine year old son, Tyler, is a shy boy....or at least he is a lot more shy than my girls....... so it came as an extreme shock recently when he came up to me and asked if it was alright to "Like-Like" a girl. Well, once I picked my chin up off the floor, I told him that I don't care if he "likes-likes" a girl as long as he doesn't "do-do" anything about it. He then proceeded to tell me about this girl in his class. This was the same little girl who lives near the old middle school and would make eyes at him last spring when we were waiting for my oldest daughter and also the same girl who had made it a point to come up to Tyler after school to say "Hello". This little girl also asked if she could go to the recent foot ball dessert social. "Is she asking him on a date?!!!" She does have a name and I know what it is, but I know if I reveal it, Ty's dad and sister will tease him mercelessly.
Well, yesterday Tyler comes home and announces this girl told his friend, Ben, that she thinks Tyler is attractive. Now, maybe I don't have much self-control but I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing. What 8-9 year old girl comes up with that? And Tyler, my shy Tyler, is just grinnin' from ear to ear. Anyone got any sand I can go hide my head in?
I never had to deal with this with my extroverted daughter whom I told from the beginning that there will be no dating until she is 16 and then there would be more rules. I am glad the little girl lives on the other side of a very busy street and hopefully that will deter her from looking Tyler up.