"Mom, you're so weird."

I mean, it started out innocently enough.

"Mom, can I watch TV?"

That's a fairly innocuous question, right? Not likely to result in a kid telling you you're off the wall.

But the goofiness must have taken over my brain.

"What is this TV of which you speak?"

She had a good answer: "It's like a book that talks."

"So you just listen to it?"

"Well, it has pictures that move, too." She pointed to my computer monitor. "On a screen like that, only not a computer." Grabs my arm. "Come look, Mom!!" I started laughing. She tweaked my nose and said, "Mom, you're so weird."

Yeah. I am. I admitted I was just messing with her and told her to go ahead with the TV thing. lol.

I just can't believe she had serious answers to my goofy questions. The force is strong with that one.

I'M NOT YOUR MAID!!!!

How many times have I wanted to yell that at my child? I've never done it.

So this morning, we're cleaning her room so the new bunk bed can be delivered, and I told her she needed to vacuum. Guess who yelled the above statement? That's right. NOT me.

After taking a time out for myself so I didn't yell back, I explained to her that I'm the one who does her laundry and scrubs her toilet (to which she said, EWWW!). She has chores to do, and cleaning her room is on that list.

Then I told her it was a good thing her dad hadn't heard her sass me like that. She agreed.

I did eventually yell though. Something about her continuing to play among the old bed parts (which isn't safe, but she wouldn't listen). Fine. Drop a bed frame on yourself. I won't feel sorry for you.

Anyway. The "I'm not your maid" statement came from a TV show in which a child actually was having to be the maid for his mom and twin brother. They both had the flu; he was doing all the cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc. I don't think cleaning your own room with the help of your mother qualifies you as a maid. Grrrrr.

And off I go to work. Until my next interruption, which hopefully will either be taking her to school (yay!) or the delivery guys (yay!).

*Edit*

I just realized it's been forever since I've done a Friday Fave Five. The above is sort of the opposite of that.

So ...

1. I am grateful for my sweet husband -- who, after waking me up the other night while playing WoW with his brother on line, turned off his computer and took me back to bed and held me while I fell back asleep, and he fell asleep, too. He also went to therapy this week and is taking the supplements we all talked about, including some herbal formulas for mood stabilization. And he agreed to try a prescription medication if the herbals don't work. (if you don't know my husband and the culture and his parents' involvement, you don't know how much progress this is). I also went shopping for clothes the other day and didn't tell him first (we usually talk things over before we spend more than a couple dollars on ourselves), and he said, "Go buy more clothes! You need a swimsuit that you like." when I told him how much plus-size suits run, he said it was worth it if I liked it and felt good in it. What a guy.

2. I am grateful for my kidlet -- even on days like today.

3. I am grateful for the Small Fry -- and the fact that we can call her and send her letters again.

4. I am grateful Small Fry's mother -- and whatever has possessed her of late to try and let us have a relationship with Small Fry. She and my husband are both bipolar and things are so much better now that they've agreed to not talk to each other. Honestly, I have no idea how they got along long enough to make a baby in the first place. Since it's just me dealing with her, things are so good. So I'm grateful for her for trying to be friendly with me, even though some of her "Good morning!" texts can be interesting. (like yesterday. "Good morning, hope you woke up on the wrong side of the coffin!").

5. I am grateful for my friends and family and co-workers. They've kept me sane this past week while dealing with everything that's been going on.

*sob* I feel much less grumpy now.

Not all superheroes are created equally.

Take me for instance. I'm Super Stewie, but I'm not impervious to bullets. I don't have x-ray vision. I'm not all that fast, except for my flying fingers at work. I can't stop trains, I can't stretch for miles on end, I'm not invisible, I can't make plants obey my every whim, I'm not able to create a vortex by running in circles ... Worst of all, I can't fly! There are times I float ... but that's usually diagnosed as "vertigo" ... or when hubby kisses me ... ahem. But I am somehow managing to juggle being a mom and a wife and an employee and stuff, although the housework just isn't getting done.

Maybe I need a clone. Super Stewie II.

Okay, seriously. How many superhero movies have come out in recent years? Incredibles, My Super Ex-girlfriend, Zoom, Sky High, Superman Returns, etc. etc. etc.

I LOVE THEM. I will probably buy both Zoom and Sky High eventually. We own the Incredibles. The girlfriend one was pretty lame, although Luke Wilson, as always, plays a cute character.

But here's how all these "super" movies have affected my daughter.

This morning, she's holding barbie baby dolls (they are tiny), running around the house yelling, "Wheeeeeee! They're super babies Mom!!! They're flying!" *thud* (crashes the babies into a wall) "I guess they're not so super after all." *dejected look*

That is just not normal. It's hilarious though. Man, I love that kid.

Y'know. I started wondering if I was really ready to try to have a baby, if I really wanted more kids, if we'd be able to handle more changes, if it would really be worth the pregnancy and the labor and all the pain ... and I came to the conclusion just now that yes, kids are a PITA sometimes, but I have an amazing kidlet who just cracks me up and makes me giggle and she's really a beautiful spirit whom I love very much. And my husband isn't perfect, but I bet we'd still have great kids and our joy will increase exponentially, even if our disposable income decreases again for a while.

I guess it comes down to "kids = joy" and "moms = super" and "husband = amazing" ... so I think we'll be okay.

My ultrasound went fine this morning. Gotta call the doc Monday for the results. Woo.

yup. still love my kid.

So, Munchkin runs up to me this evening with red stuff all over her finger and says, "MOM! I cut myself really bad!" I look over and she *licks* it off and says, "Haha! April Fools!" It was bbq sauce. I laughed, then explained that it's not April Fools Day anymore, and she was like, "so, it's still APRIL." *snort* what a girl.

hahahahahahaa ... I love my kid

So, Munchkin has apparently heard the term "knuckle sandwich" and knows it comes from someone hitting someone.

Well, this morning, we were rushing to get ready as she'd slept in (which is an entirely different story in and of itself), and she was hurrying out of my office when she smacked her knuckles on the door. She said, "ow" and her face got bright red, so I could tell it hurt. She kept shaking her hand and I asked if she neeeded a kiss. As she walked over to get it, she said, "That thing just gave me a wood sandwich." hahahahahahaha ... i'm still cracking up. First, at the fact that she would think of that, and second, at the usage of the term not being exactly right. It didn't, after all, smack her in the mouth!

Friday Fave Five!!! (wait ... it's saturday ... my bad)

Okay. We've had a really rough week. Hubby is doing a lot better now than he was earlier in the week. Thank heaven.

So ... my Friday Fave Five this week ... things that helped me cope and feel better through hubby's crash and other problems this week. He's still my fave, I still love him, all that stuff. We're good.

1. My credit union. They're helping refi the house, then we'll sell it. That'll give us time to get it cleaned up and paint the garage door and touch up the paint throughout the house. Then we have two months of no mortgage payments, so hopefully we can sell it in that time.

2. My doctor. He isn't just taking the first answer (UTI) to be the cause of all my illness/trouble. He is sending me for an ultrasound of my abdomen and pelvis next week and took a whole bunch of blood yesterday. Which is okay I guess. I'm not pregnant, just nauseated constantly, which is being made worse by the antibiotics. Fun times. Hopefully this, too, passes and nothing else is wrong with me and hopefully nothing else is going on that will prevent me from getting pregnant soon.

3. Friends like CC and Kip. Playing last night (Friday) helped out a ton.

4. Kidlet. She's been so great and taking such good care of mommy. I had a massage Wednesday which hurt me for two days -- couldn't even drive. i'm doing better now and the muscles loosened up a TON, but when I was hurting so bad, she just patted me on the shoulders and snuggled up with me where she wouldn't hurt me and took care of me. Such a great kid.

5. My boss being understanding about me being sick. Although I'm not sure she's going to continue to let me slack, so hopefully we can sell the house in early May so I can move to part time. Oy.



So ... yeah. kip loves castles, so cc and i picked her up last night, got a bite at Carl's, and drove up to Cedar Hills to show her the castle house. It's still there, just like I remembered. cc says that's a popular thing to do now (castle elements in houses), but i just remember mocking the family who built it. poor family. and we drove by what used to be a nauseatingly pink house ... that family also got mocked and they had a hard time selling the house until they found someone who was willing to re-stucco the thing and re-do all the landscaping.

now i'm plotting munchkin's birthday party, possibly considering a trip to Farmland at Thanksgiving Point with animals and stuff ... or just doing the pool thing again. we shall see.

Thursday night, I sang a solo in a production of Women at the Well at church. It was fun. I like singing, but I usually insist on singing in a group -- this time, things were just so crazy, I didn't have time to get to the choir practices, so the sister in charge of all of the music brought me a solo. After the thing was over Thursday, she told me I need my own CD. mwahahahaha. Anyway, turns out the sisters in the choir blended really well and didn't really need me. I have this voice ... it just sort of is THERE. It is BIG, and I wouldn't have been able to blend as well with them. So it turned out for the better that I didn't do the choir. lol.

well. now i'm nauseated more and having cramps. woo. i'm gonna go cuddle munchkin, who went to a sleepover last night but didn't sleep over (she's not allowed to sleep over). The mom of her friend said she understood and was just glad i'd let her go over at all. lol.

He used to be a box.

Yep. That's my typo of the day. BoxER. gah.

it's been one of those days. pardon me while i go cry myself to sleep. alone.

hubby gave me a blessing in the morning -- very much needed. by afternoon we weren't talking. *sigh* i love the guy, but the bipolar thing sucks really mucho at times. grrrr.

so does my chest being so painful i couldn't drive myself anywhere. but y'know ... that's 'cuz I had another massage yesterday and she worked REALLY REALLY deep through my whole ribcage -- it's feeling better now, but man ... that in and of itself has made me be really emotional and "touchy" about anyone touching me.

actually, the whole day wasn't a waste. did have lunch with hubby, which was nice. spent a bit of time with kiddo. she came into the bathroom and "helped" me get ready for enrichment tonight, where i sang a solo. about 5 min. before i sang, i had a feeling i needed to call and check on her (hubby was sound asleep). she answered the phone and i said, "don't open the door." and she said, "well, i'm out on the balcony, is that okay?" ack. it's snowing and she's in her PJs. "sure, just don't open the front door or talk to anyone." "Okay. when will you be home?" "around 8:15." "Okay. Bye bye love you bye." (her standard sign off on the phone since she was tiny). I repeated it back, hung up, walked back in the chapel, and very calmly sat in my seat again. the song did go well. much compliments and stuff there (including a "you need your own CD" funny).

i'm calling the doctor in the morning though. i've been nauseated for months and am not (as far as i know) pregnant. and this morning i had a sharp pain shoot through the left side of my pelvis -- so bad I hit the floor. yeah. not normal. i'm sure i'll be fine though. *rolling eyes*

St Paddy's Day!

Yeah, um, I have to work today. BUT, here's what I'm doing anyway for breakfast to torment the masses (my family): GREEN french toast, GREEN milk, and GREEN orange juice. I made GREEN pancakes last year, but they take longer than french toast.

That's as "fun" as I'm getting. We're still doing other stuff, but a 9-hour shift tends to suck the life out of me.

For lunch, we may eat out today -- at Costco. We have to finish the two-week shopping. okay, so it's not a full two weeks. i'll have to go for more produce next weekend, but we are pretty stocked on a whole bunch of stuff. Or maybe we'll come home and have Hot Pockets.

For dinner, it is brisket with cabbage and braised root veggies. Munchkin and I watched food network a couple of nights this week and she asked to try a rutabaga like Rachael Ray used in an Irish dinner with potatoes, carrots, and onions, and I thought, what the heck? Kid is gonna ask for a veggie? I'm darn well gonna let her try it. I've never had one, but bought it and chopped it up and it's ready for the pot.

We'll probably rent a video or two as well. Woooo.

Food network. Watched someone make chicken satay a few nights ago, so I made it last night, with brown rice and zucchini. It was really good, and surprisingly, we all got full really fast. I think between the combination of the whole grain and the amount of flavor in the dishes, it just filled us up quickly. I'd marinated the zucchini in an olive oil, lemon/lime juice, garlic, and pepper marinade, then grilled it. And the satay was also grilled, with a sesame oil, ginger, brown sugar, and pepper marinade, then served with individual bowls of a peanut dipping sauce (which could've used more hot sauce in it, but I digress), which we dipped the chicken in and poured over the rice (hubby has to have some sauce for his rice, can't eat it plain). He also dipped his zucchini in it. Kiddo skipped the peanut sauce but ate the chicken without argument. She didn't dig the zucchini, but that's okay; the lemon was pretty strong. Good, but strong. It was nice to actually make something EVERYONE liked. And the cleanup wasn't that bad -- LOVE my George Foreman grill.

TGIF

What a crappy week.

This is the new blog and I'm not going to really talk about the bad week or the reason for the move. Instead, here are this week's Fave Five, a night early: MY PEOPLE. (and yes, there are SIX)

1. My husband.

2. My sister Graceful.

3. CC.

4. Munchkin.

5. My mom.

6. The Savior.

The Savior is not really the last one in importance. I just ... Man, I'm grateful for the Atonement.

My husband is such a sweet man. I need to remember that and realize I'm not perfect either. And he loves me even on bad weeks, so I guess we're okay.

Graceful helps me chill out a lot -- we're great friends. Glad she's my sis.

CC is an amazingly talented artist and a wonderful friend. So excited to see her Friday night!

Munchkin is my on-line name for my kiddo. She's 7-1/2. She makes me giggle. This was our conversation the other afternoon.
"Mom, can I shut your office door?"
"No." *crestfallen look* "Well, if you shut it you'll get into mischief." *giggle* "Y'know, that's actually what's on your birth certificate. Mischief Munchkin."
"LIAR LIAR!" as she runs squealing and giggling away.

My mom ... she's the best! I know life is rough all around for a lot of her kids right now, but she took the time to talk with me today while she was at work and I was a mess ... and she stayed with me for a month after my heart surgery just to make sure I was okay -- *and* tried to keep my dad out of my hair (love him, but he drives me batty in enclosed spaces). What's better than that?