"We're the Hope of America!"

Kiddo has taken to telling me quirky stories about her classmates, random weird things they do or say, or how obnoxious some of them are. Then she bursts into a song from a program she'll be performing this summer. "We're the Hope of America!" Then she laughs hysterically when I say, "I know. Isn't it scary/creepy/weird?" hahahaha. Love her.

Friday Fave Five!!!

1. Realizing that even though we're broke at the moment, I have stuff in my craft closet to make Kiddo an Easter skirt without spending a dime, and she has a top that will match. Guess what my next project is ...

2. Oxyclean. Kiddo was having a bit of a rough day on Monday and dumped her entire plate of spaghetti on the floor. One cleaning with Oxyclean, and it's 90% gone. I'll do it again tomorrow and hopefully it'll be completely gone.

3. Baby boy has learned he can scoot backwards. It's a bit frustrating for him since he's going the opposite direction of his goal, but cute nonetheless.

4. Kiddo actually liking her costume and hubby being supportive and telling me I rocked when he saw it. With only a little prompting.

5. Getting the car fixed for free. I only had to buy the part. That was seriously the highlight of my week.

The Indian Costume

If i'd had more time, i would've done some things differently. maybe found an actual pattern or a better picture to copy. But I think it turned out well and she was happy.

SNOW??

So, I decided this morning I'd go for a walk since I haven't been out all week. It has been colder and snowed Sunday night and never got warm. I peeked out the window and there was snow on the ground, but it didn't look too bad, so I was just going to bundle up me and Bambino and take off for a walk.

It wasn't snow on the ground.

It was ICE.

We didn't make it very far in the blustery chill before I turned around and came back home, sliding all the way. And Bambino started *freaking out* about 50 yards from our house.

Apparently, he doesn't like snow any more than his parents do.

So, then I tried to close the garage. It's pretty bad when the wind is so bad, it's blowing snow across the sensors and the door refuses to shut.

Is it spring yet?

Happy happy, joy joy joy

So, the incident with the car and the garbage can ... I ordered the part online and it got here Saturday. Today, I stopped by a body shop near my house and they fixed it on the spot.

For free.

I thanked them profusely and left. Then I cried. And called my sister. And cried some more.

See, things are sort of tight at the moment. We got to a point where we were doing pretty well, but hubby's employers have cut all hours of all employees for the time being, and that's just ... harsh.

So I need to work more, but hey, something lovely happened today and I had to post about it. I did immediately pay it forward to an anonymous stranger (and am not going to say what I did), just because I felt so darn good.

So that's that.

Movie reviews:

Quantum of Solace. LOVED what I saw. I was busy dealing with kids and baths and bedtime, but hubby loved it lots. Good action, good resolution of some story lines of Casino Royale, good stuff.

Henry Poole is here. Oh my stars ... so not what I was expecting. Good indie flick with a few big name stars. Made me stop for a second and think about how sometimes we don't let miracles happen in our lives, and if they do happen, we don't believe in them. Even if the "miracle" in question was something we don't really dwell on or worship in our church. I don't wanna give it away, just in case you pick it up on a whim like me, but it was a lovely, inspiring movie, with no bad language, violence, sex, or nudity. WILD. hahaha.

I'm sure I'll have more to come, but that's what I'm remembering tonight.

Twilight

I was half tempted to buy this on Saturday, but held off. My niece, KerliFan, loaned me her DVD. She's awesome that way.

I just watched it. I liked it better than she did. That's not to say I loved it, just ... yeah. Um. She LOVES the books and has a huge crush on Jacob Black (both the character and the actor portraying him), but uh, she *hated* the movie.

There were things I liked about it and thought were well done and true to the story, although Edward was more awkward than I thought he would be. He was awesome as Cedric Diggory, so I figured he'd do fine ... but ... no. I think his prosthetic teeth were giving him pains or something. Shark Boy did a decent job as Jacob Black, which surprised me. Bella was great (except that one awkward scene where she confronted Edward -- just weird), Charlie wasn't exactly as I'd pictured him, but the rest of the kids and the vampires (both "good" and "evil) were spot on. The "glittering" was not how I'd imagined either...

Oh, and remember when I posted this spoof? Here, I'll post it again.



Yeah, I totally thought of that and laughed OUT LOUD funny at the part in the movie where he jumps out the window.

Kiddo wanted to see it, but she's in trouble for not cleaning her room. So she did see a few minutes while I wrestled Bambino, but she has to finish her room before she can finish the movie (daddy sez, hahaha).

My favorite things

Chubby little hands patting my cheeks and stroking my arms while my baby nurses and falls asleep

Chubby little arms reaching up from play just for a hug, then the chubby little body squirming to get back down and play some more\

Chubby feet that clap

The cutest toothless grins and infectious giggles

Funny little sounds from the sweetest baby as he's proud of himself for grabbing things (most of which he shouldn't have) or rolling over or scooting around the floor

Slobbery kisses from a tiny sweet mouth

Baby's "nurse me" signal: Chubby little hands grabbing my face and holding it still, then tiny lips sucking on my cheek, then giggling

Baby learning to sleep alone (both good and sad)

Kiddo's willingness to help with her brother and let me nap

Kiddo asking me to cut her hair and letting me do it (she trusts me!)

Kiddo becoming more responsible

Kiddo asking while I was awake whether she could paint her nails (no, but she asked and minded! some of you may remember the last time she asked ... while i was sleeping ... and she ended up painting the floor, the sink, the cupboards, the countertop ... ahem)

Seeing friends who moved far away. Miss them. Lots.

Authentic tamales. Man, I hope they come down for Christmas again. I'll *buy* the tamales. lol.

Water. Lots and lots of water

brain is not computering anymore. and i need to work. byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

greeeeeat...

I took the alarm clock out of his room last night.

DD took it back in there today.

Apparently I forgot to turn it OFF, because it just woke him up. Again. Poor bug.

*sigh*

The alarm clock we loaned YSIL during her short stay here has still been in the baby's room (because I haven't moved it back to our room -- what's the point when you have a living, breathing alarm clock?)

Baby found it and started playing with it. It's battery operated and flips open and closed, and it's a lot of fun for him, and because I was so darn exhausted today I let him play with it for a while.

He went to bed around 6:45 tonight (loving that), and I fell asleep with him. I woke up around 8 and, zombie like, stumbled into the living room, where I sat in the recliner for a while until hubby left for work.

At 9 p.m., the alarm clock in question went off, disturbing bambino's sleep ... fortunately, he went back to sleep quickly. But I did take the dang clock back out of his room.

It's sunny and warm out!

well, not right now. I guess right now it's pretty dark and maybe chilly ... but it was warm and sunny and beautiful outside today.

So when bambino wouldn't take his nap and just kept yelling at me this afternoon, I put him in the stroller and just started walking. He slept for about 15 minutes, and then the bus dropped off kiddo. He never did go back to sleep.

I was sort of hoping for a repeat of last night, when I put him to bed at 7 and he didn't wake up again until 3:30 this morning (honestly, I was worried and kept checking to make sure he was breathing, lol). I put him down at 6:45, fell asleep with him, woke up at 7:30 (thankfully; my visiting teachers came at 8), and he slept until 11:30, nursed, and went back to sleep. Too bad I didn't use my time more wisely -- I could be done with work for the night. Bah. Guess I'm going to have to get more focused. *sigh*

Reasons why 9-year-olds are ... difficult.

They think it's fun to pinch on St. Patrick's Day. Then, when they annoy someone on the home-bound bus who didn't wear green and is obviously sick to death of being bothered about it, they wonder why that person bops them on the head (repeatedly) with a hard-covered book until they cry.

*sigh*

Or, y'know, when mom is busy being sick at home and the 9-year-old in question is playing at the park, and some of mom's friends (who are the moms of the 9-year-old's friends) are there and tell her to go get her mom to come play, instead of saying, "she's not feeling well," she tells the world, "mom has diarrhea and she's not coming outside."

*double sigh*

Then there's the whole attitude preteen stuff going on ... and refusal to clean her room ... oy.

I just keep reading my former post and reminding myself she IS a good kid.

It's nice having a 9-year-old.

She's capable and willing to take her prescribed antibiotic at the assigned times every day. And I don't usually have to remind her. Which is good because I can never remember to take pills myself. Ahem. And she can actually swallow pills now, whereas when she was a baby/toddler/preschooler/early grade schooler, she had to have SHOTS because she'd puke up the liquid. not fun.

Plus, she loves to play with her brother and will babysit him for a few minutes while I decompress. Or, y'know, use the bathroom by myself.

And she's pretty cool. Funny, too.

And pretty. Don't forget. She's pretty.

FRIDAY FAVE FIVE!

Books I've read recently. They are children's/young adult fantasy novels, borrowed from the library of KerliFan, and they are awesome.

1. The Sisters Grimm series. In the genre of fractured fairy tales, descendants of the Brothers Grimm solve modern-day mysteries involving beloved fairy tale characters.

2. The Septimus Heap series. The books names being Magyk, Flyte, Physik, and Queste, they are obviously Magyk books. I have not read Queste yet, but the first three were really cool. There is a theory that a 7th son of a 7th son is extraordinarily gifted (orson scott card, anyone?). Septimus Heap is that 7th son, who was declared dead at birth ...

3. Moorchild. I was almost sad this was not a series. And I hate series books. Half faerie, half human, Saaski has to learn who she is and try and make her life right.

4. Crispin by Avi. It *is* a series, but I've only read the first. Set in Medieval England, a boy with no name and no parents must find out why certain people want him dead, while trying to stay alive.

5. ...

Actually, that's it. I did read others, but those were my faves.

I still didn't call a junk yard ... but found a part online for about $45 plus S&H. Maybe I'll just buy that one and take it to a body shop for installation.

And mom's knitting needles all showed up. I practiced casting on and the knit stitch, but am not sure I'm purling right as it looked weird, so I think i'll just wait until knitting night in two weeks. ha.

Oops

That's not what I said this afternoon when I broke the car.

And not what I said when I picked up the pieces of the side mirror that shattered. Or its housing.

And not what I said when my loving daughter gleefully ran upstairs to tell daddy before I could.

*sigh*

Fortunately, there was no other car or major structure involved. Just a garbage can that wasn't put away properly and a car that had been parked wonky and a driver not paying the best attention while backing out of the garage.

Guess I'm calling junk yards and body shops tomorrow ...

And just in case anyone is counting that "bad things happen in threes thing," we're well beyond three if being sick with various viruses for over a month, a dead vacuum, a dead dryer, the water heater leak, plus the car all count ...

And now, a fun little song.

From the mind of a 9-year-old on the bus with my daughter.

Imagine, if you will, a toilet seat. Singing the ABC's.

"A, B, C, D, E, F, G ... Get your big fat butt off me."

Thank you.

Ooo, goody!

My kiddo has para influenza (milder form of influenza I guess). Yay me! Because guess what? She *shared*!!!!

Yeah ... I am so ready for winter to be over. We've been sick with something or other for the last 6-8 weeks.

At least she got an antibiotic for the cough/PND she's had for the last 3 weeks ...