dog days of summer

I am at my wit's end with the puppy lately. She is getting into and chewing everything, including my glasses earlier. Thanks. I'm ticked, feeling helpless and overwhelmed.

I can't invite anyone in or even have a pleasant conversation. I realize she's a puppy and this is in large part my own fault. I'm busy. Very busy. I'm raising my kids, tutoring my niece, trying to write an OPR, enrolled in SOS, and trying to train a dog. Although I don't work outside the house there are times when I think it'd be easier. I need to make more time for the dog but jeezy creezy, there are only so many hours in the day.

She gets in to our compost bin outside, digs holes, I think I caught her eating rabbit poo tonight (which would explain the breath problems), and won't stop nipping at the kids. The nipping causes the kids to scream which causes me to scream at the dog... It's a mess.

All I can see right now is her growing to be the giant dog she will be with all these bad habits and issues. And? Honestly, I don't have the time to dedicate to fixing it right now.

If anyone knows of a Fairy God Pooch, please send her this way.

cutesy

Here's a picture of Ralphie enjoying some juice and playing a little "find the bellybutton."

another summer pic

Here's a snapshot of an unusually quiet moment yesterday. It was so cute I had to run out with the camera despite their protests.

funny

From a conversation just overheard between cousins:

"You're rubbing your tattoos off?! There's no way I'd rub this sweet baby off!"

deadlines

My OPR deadline (imposed by Yago) is quickly approaching and I'm not feeling it. I'm guessing I'll wait until late Thursday night to do it and send it on Friday.

Schmitty's been going to his Tae Kwon Do classes and enjoying it immensely. We had the winning bid at his school fundraiser so we got one month of unlimited classes and a free uniform. He loves his class and teacher. The problem is that it's way the heck away from where we live, when we bid on it we didn't know where it was located. Now Schmitty's qualified to test up to his yellow belt, testing is scheduled Aug 8. Since we won't be able to continue once school starts, there's no point in him testing. (it costs $65 to test) He's very disappointed, very. I feel awful, I wish I hadn't ever bid on the classes now. I'm looking for a place closer to home but he wants to continue at Tiger Rock with his instructor there.

I've promised to go bike riding with the kids so we'd better get the show on the road before naptime.

hospital schmospital

I had an appointment with the VA today trying to get my disability benefits reinstated. I went to the VA Hospital for an evaluation but couldn't find room 5002 in the 5 East wing. I was wandering around and finally asked for help. The lady told me I was, indeed, in the right place and 5 East was just through the doors at the end of the hall. I was confused, "But I thought I saw something about mental..." She looked at my appointment paper and told me that the VA Hospital was across the street, I was in the county hospital. I laughed and thanked her. When I got back in the elevator I saw that I was in the Inpatient Mental Health wing. Whoopsie.

some nerve

Last night I got an email from Schmitty's bio father asking the status on the adoption. I told him I didn't know and had tried contacting my attorney last week to no avail. I woke this morning to an email ending with, "Give him a hug and a kiss from me." I'm very irked by that comment. Seriously? Give the kid you've never interacted with a hug and kiss from you? I don't think so.

wine (no) tasting

Last night the boys and I trekked all over town looking for the free wine tasting at Lauritzen Gardens. Mutual of Omaha is sponsoring a BUNCH of free events this weekend celebrating their 100th anniversary, the tasting was one such event.

We got there and waited in a ridiculously long line for admission. Once in, everything had a crazy long line. The first wait was so long I decided we would skip the French region and head somewhere else. We got to the German region for riesling but they were packing up and leaving, no luck. Australia had a mountain of stairs, impossible with the stroller. We continued to Japan... for sake but they were out also, just a couple of women sitting there in kimonos. We got to Italy and waited and waited. Then it started raining. I decided I was going to shell out $5 and buy a glass at that point because it was 10 minutes from closing. I got up there for my taste and chickened out on asking to purchase a glassful.

At this point we'd been walking around for a couple of hours and Schmitty was out of humor. I told him we'd go back and get a complementary dessert sample. That was supposed to start at 9:00. We fought the mosquitos and waited in one last line. Unfortunately, I guess they were out of dessert because I got up there and they gave me a sample of wine but no offer for the dessert that was supposed to be there.

After we finally found our car and called it a night we stopped by Sonic for a snack.

summer

Ah, to be a kid in summer...

what cake?

I didn't do it.

give them cake

We did indeed eat some cake, it's really the anniversary of our family. That means Ralphie didn't go to bed until almost 10:00 but it's summer, what the heck.

Oh, and after blowing out the candles Ralphie tried to eat one. He saw his brother sucking icing off the bottom of a candle and decided to eat one.

three

Three years ago today Yago and I were married. I've been planning for months to write about all his wonderful attributes but then today came and I was busy with all the other things that had to be done. Now Ralphie's in the other room hollering, the dog is wimpering, and I can't think of a single thoughtful thing I was going to tell everyone about. Hmph.

Well, I'm still happy.

I like that he doesn't think it's funny that I startle easily. A lot of people think it's hilarious to make me jump but he always tries to flip the light to let me know he's coming or he walks loudly.

Even though he's not here I was planning to do something special with the boys but that never happened either, unless you call a trip to the commissary special. I made an anniversary cake but it's almost 9:00 and still too warm to frost...

I think we learned that I'm a really good planner.

shark burps

I was running home yesterday to bring more beer over to the neighbor's house when I realized I had shark burps. I thought that was pretty funny. They made shark empanadas that were a-maz-ing. I watched Carlos press the dough, fill them, seal them, and then fry 'em. Yummy.

I thought it was just going to be our two families but they had a BUNCH of people over. It was quite an international affair: Columbians, El Salvadorans, Mexicans, Venezuelans and a Vietnamese guy for good measure. Oh, and some gringos! ;^) They all brought food too... Grilled carne with tortillas warmed on the grill, rice from the Columbians, some avocado sauce from someone else... The Vietnamese family donated the fresh fish. They stuffed it with shrimp, bell pepper, mushrooms and seasoning, then wrapped it in foil and threw it on the grill. Oh my, it was a gastro-paradise.

I heart them. I ate like a queen for free. We brought over butterscotch brownies but that was it.

entertaining

So no need for my worrying yesterday. Neighbor came over and we drank a pitcher of mojitos while the kids played. Her husband went to a baseball game with a supervisor that he couldn't say no to. Just as well.

As usual, I went way overboard in my preparations. I spent a fortune on small wedges of cheese, a baguette, guacamole, blue chips, bottle of white, bottle of red, 12-pack of beer, and bought a cooler. Oh, and let's not forget the ingredients for the mojitos. In the end we drank the mojitos, half the chips, and about half the guacamole. That's it. I hate it when I do that.

She invited us over tonight for homemade empanadas that her father-in-law is making. They're also grilling half a shark. It should be interesting.

tkd

I took Schmitty to his first Tae Kwon Do class this morning, he really looked like he was having a good time. I hung out and talked to another mother there while I entertained the midget.

We got the lessons because we put in the winning bid during the Golden Gala silent auction. I'm just now getting around to taking him for his free month of lessons. I asked the mother next to me how much it normally costs and she said around $120/month. Plus each time you test for a higher belt you have to pay. Holy schmoly. I think Schmitty's going to be pretty disappointed when his last class is August 18th.

The neighbors are coming over for drinks this evening, that means a lot of cleaning but still trying to make it look like I didn't do any special cleaning for them. It's a careful game we play.

I just finished making a pitcher of peach mojitos and want to take a nap!

mixer

Last night we went to the neighbor's house, the neighbor that stood me up last year. (That's right, I still remember.) Her daughter was celebrating her fourth birthday and there were some family and friends in town.

I only intended to go for an hour or so but stayed for dinner and drinks. (Never turn down free food and drinks!) It was an interesting mix of people. Her parents-in-law from Venezuela live with her, her sister-in-law was visiting (she has MD), and then there were neighbors and everyone's kids.

I have been reluctant to talk to her in-laws because my Spanish embarrasses me but last night I let 'er rip. Of course I waited until I was alone with them and then told them that I know a little bit of Spanish. Just saying that to them made their faces light up, it was funny. They started talking to me and things were going well. I do fine with the small talk but when topics get deeper I have trouble. It became apparent when we started talking about immigration. I was trying to explain my view but could only get the first few words out each time. Trying to discuss the theoretical and hypotheticals is beyond my ability at this point. Plus when they began speaking excitedly I had difficulty understanding them, that's when people get head nods and smiles.

Her brother's wife (Dana) is in a wheelchair so I was a rock star when I offered up a ramp. I have one in my garage that belongs to my mother but everyone was impressed. Dana's husband is a EC-130 navigator. He's deployed all the time and I'm still trying to figure out what she does when he's gone so often. She's really pretty and so funny that it seems like she'd be the last person struck by such a disease. (As is true with anyone I suppose.) She travels and told stories about camping, I was really surprised I must say. She also read The Omnivore's Dilemma, loves the cheese counter at Whole Foods, and watches PBS documentaries.

So what I'm saying is I had a really good time last night, too bad Yago wasn't here.

see to believe

I just saw midget run by with Papi's undies in his teeth. He was being chased by Schmitty. ???

tdy

Yesterday morning we took Yago to the airport, he'll be in Biloxi for two and a half weeks.

Schmitty always misses him. I searched On Demand for a movie that we could watch together, The Great Outdoors. The movie started and Schmitty said, "You ever notice how movies don't seem as fun when dad's not here?" I made popcorn and apfelschorle hoping to lift his spirits.

The thing is, evenings are depressing for me when he's not around. I think Schmitty and I were both procrastinating going to bed last night. We stayed up cruising the Internet looking for information on Rick Riordan, Schmitty's favorite author. We watched a movie trailer for a Feb movie release, looked up his new books, and checked his event calendar. Before I knew it, it was 11:39. That's not very responsible of me...

We found out Rick Riordan isn't doing school visits anymore, only events scheduled by his publisher. That disappointed Schmitty immensely. I had to explain that he's too famous and popular now to visit schools and classrooms. That in the interest of money, his publisher wants him to go to the biggest markets where he can have the most impact to make them the most money possible. He does books, movies, and merchandising now. We talked about moving to San Antonio and being his neighbor. Schmitty would bug him all the time asking questions about The Sword of Hades.

That's what we spent out time talking about instead of acknowledging we miss Yago.

walk

Last night we went to the pedestrian bridge that links Omaha, NE, to Council Bluffs, IA. We took the Frog and ate snow cones in IA. It was a nice afternoon/evening. Then we went out to dinner at a local brewery.

I'm still trying to figure out if I'm going to the beaner reunion this year. I see the list of people and nobody that I actually hung out with is going. But then, I didn't hang out with too many people. I feel like I didn't really fit in anywhere. I don't know...

were they always this bad?

Hangovers? I remember them sucking but it seems like in recent years it takes less alcohol to get one.

Last night Yago and I got a babysitter and went to a sports bar around the corner for a couple of hours. We had a few beers, split some wings and called it a night. We had one more drink after we ran in to our neighbors. It wasn't a night of marathon drinking by any means but I spent most of today trying to sleep and nurse a hangover.

Ick.

wiggle it

The Wiggles are going on tour. Schmitty used to LOVE The Wiggles and I know Ralphie would like them. When I looked up the tour schedule I saw that they'll be in Lincoln this summer, jackpot. I clicked on the ticketmaster link to check cost/availability, $40 a darn ticket! Can you believe that baloney? $120 for three tickets?! To see Dorothy the Dinosaur and Wags the Dog?? Someone must have been smoking crack.

We went to Jazz on the Green last night at The Joslyn Art Museum. We brought a bottle of wine, Yoohoo, cheese and other snacks to enjoy while listening to some live jazz music. I was happy to see a lot of families there, it was a real nice relaxed atmosphere. Whole Foods provides snacks for purchase. We didn't check out what they were selling but I'm sure it was scrumptious (and expensive). I think we'll go again when Yago gets back from his TDY.

pucker face

When we were in Oklahoma the funniest thing happened. Yago, Ralph, Aunt Meaghan and I were all riding in the car going to a geocache sight. Yago flipped through the radio stations and we caught the end of the song Poker Face. Ralph started screaming shortly afterward, we couldn't figure out what was wrong. Eventually we deciphered his hollering, he was yelling "Poker Face!" He wanted to hear the song again. I had to put in the Timbaland cd to cheer him up.

Last night Yago broke down and bought Poker Face on iTunes. Ralph and Schmitty loved it, danced and spun around the living room. We made homemade limeade too. Ralphie took his first sip and puckered while listening to the song for the 10th time which prompted a chorus of pa-pa-pa-pucker face from me.

Fresh, hand-squeezed limeade is pretty refreshing.

freedom

Last night was an experiment.

Rana wakes us up by barking every morning between 5:35 and 5:45, very irritating. (We kennel her at night.) One of us gets up because we don't want her waking the kids and we want our spouse to be able to sleep a little longer in peace. Yesterday Yago and I were talking about it. We both felt like we were reinforcing Rana's bad behavior by trying to be thoughtful. Yago asked what I thought about just leaving her out at night. I was afraid she'd chew up a bunch of stuff while we slept (she's still teething).

We agreed to put her in the kennel but leave the door open. I heard her get out in the wee hours last night but she let me sleep until 6:30 or so. At that point she stuck her wet nose on me and woke me up. That's progress. Also, she didn't destroy anything with chewing.

I took her to get licensed a couple of days ago and the lady asked if her name was a Star Trek reference. ??? I explained that she had the name when we got her and I didn't know where it came from. Maybe Jessica could explain the Star Trek thing...

cars

Schmitty and I like to look at cars while we drive about town. He picks out cool Mustangs and old Chevelles. If I happen to see a Porsche or even the occasional Ferrari I'll point it out to him. We also look at detailing and after-market accessories, he loves those big spoilers.

The other day I was waiting at a red light near our house. When the light turned green the lady in front of me wasn't paying attention and didn't go. We wound up sitting through another red light, I was annoyed. When we were sitting through the second light Schmitty asked me which car was the Broad. "What?" "Which one of the cars in front of us is called a Broad?" Then I realized I had called the lady in front of me a dumb broad and he thought I was talking about a car. I had to explain what a broad was and apologize for my language.

Whoopsie.

frog boarding

We're heading to Oklahoma again Wednesday night for the Fourth of July weekend. The kids had a lot of fun last year so we're looking forward to going again.

I waited until the end of last week to try to find a kennel for Rana. Needless to say, I didn't have any luck. I didn't know there was such demand for pet boarding services. One place said they didn't have to interview her. ??? I guess that's a good idea but it sounds funny. What kind of loser would I feel like if my puppy failed the interview. Luckily, Mistress of Moomoo is willing to save the day (or the weekend) by taking care of her. I'll know better and start early next time.

I should do some housework before Ralphie wakes up. I'm trying to decide what to do this afternoon, Yago will be working late and Schmitty's at his grandparents' house tonight. Maybe we'll stop by the pool for a bit. I have to get my money's worth from our passes.

how stupid can you be?

I just read this article, I'm appalled. This woman is a complete idiot and shouldn't get custody back. Ever.

ambivalent

That's how I feel about MJ dying. In elementary school I had this poster over my bed, Mistress of Moo had another. I was a huge fan but then he became too kooky and started messing around with little boys. I can't say I think he had anything else to contibute to the world.

so silly

The boys went outside to play in the rain during a pretty good storm a few days ago. I saw neighbors peeking out from around curtains but that wasn't going to stop them from having a good time.

argh

If I don't have a drinking/drug problem by the end of the summer it'll be a miracle. There's a reason why Yago had a vasectomy after the second kid.

regrettable

Yago and I mowed the lawn last night. When he was done he told me the bunny died. I feel bad, like maybe there was something else we could have done. I was rooting for that little guy (or gal).

is anyone else hungry?

I was out mowing the backyard to surprise Yago, he plans on doing it all when he gets home. While mowing (and sweating my buns off) I occupied my thoughts with our upcoming anniversary dinner. It's a month away but we agreed to tighten our belts this month so we could go to Sullivan's again. I was dreaming of getting the bone-in ribeye this time, it's what Yago ordered on Valentine's Day. I was imagining the creamy texture of the creme brulee on my tongue when I realized Yago isn't going to be in town on our anniversary! He's going to Keesler for a couple of weeks in July for ACOT. I don't think he knows he'll be gone for the big day yet. It's not that big of a deal, just funny that we didn't realize it sooner. At least this time he won't be in Iraq.

moved on

I discovered the other day that most all the blogs I used to read when I was in Germany are gone. It's like finding out that some people you used to hang out with up and moved, never to be heard from again.

I'd quit checking most of them because they'd quit making regular entries. The other day I decided to go check on them when I discovered they no longer exist. Now I wonder what and how they're doing.

This week is supposed to be awful weather here, close to 100 degrees with a lot of humidity. Miserable. I had my plan to go swimming but the pools aren't cooperating. The pools open at 12:00, that's when we're wrapping up lunch and starting the midget's nap. We're going to have to readjust the study sessions, lunch and nap to accommodate the recreation.

Yago's brother and his wife came up here to see some College World Series game last weekend. Aah, to be young without kids. Those two slept until 9:00 every morning. That seems strange to me now. On Saturdays I usually lay in bed until 8:00 but I can't remember the last 9:00 morning I had. It certainly predates Ralphie.

Bug and Schmitty are trying to convince me that they both read five hours over the weekend. I find that hard to believe. I believe they read but I think they're fudging their sheets for free loot from the library. Can I prove they're lying? No.

Well I have some worksheets to put together...

nest

This morning the puppies (my brother and sister-in-law are visiting) dug up a bunny nest in our yard. Around 7:00 this morning I heard them barking ferociously at something, ran out, and heard a bunny screaming. Really not a good sound. It fit in my palm and was completely defenseless about six feet out of it's nest.

I brought the dogs in and then did some quick research on what the heck I was supposed to. Touch the bunny? Don't touch the bunny? According to what I read I was supposed to gently put the bunny back, the momma rabbit wouldn't be back until nightfall.

I purchased wire garden border stuff to put around the nest in hopes of keeping the dogs out while keeping it accessible for momma. We'll see what happens. They're really too cute.

they do something right

So there is ONE thing I like about W-mart, their site-to-store shipping. It's free and if you're not in a hurry it's great. Why can't all stores do that? I purchase whatever item that they don't have in stock online and then they send it to a local store of my choosing. They're sending trucks full of merchandise anyway, so they add the item I've paid for to the load then send me an email when it gets to the store.

I wish more stores would offer that option.

teletown hall meeting

The other day I got a phone call (which I'd assumed was a telemarketer) inviting me to join a telecon town hall meeting with my congressman. After I realized what it was I stayed on the line and listened, it was one of the most interesting things I've participated in. The topic was healthcare and if I wanted to comment or ask the congressman a question I would be put in the queue. I got to hear some ridiculous rants that had nothing to do with healthcare but it was worthwhile.

We have Yago's bother and sister-in-law coming to town today for some College World Series games. We'll have a good time.

tick tock... or just tick

We are STILL picking ticks off the dog. I found one yesterday while giving her a bath and Yago found another one this morning. Gross gross gross. Everytime I think they're gone we find more. At least they're not on me. Another good thing about NY state, I never saw a tick there. Of course, I didn't spend a whole lot of time walking in the woods back then.

Bug has been banging on the piano trying to write songs and sing. Since Schmitty had his lesson yesterday morning I went ahead and let her have a lesson too. I thought at least it would give her something to practice that didn't make me long for peaceful sound of falling cats. Let's just say things haven't improved the way I'd hoped. Maybe next week it'll sound better.

I'm itching everywhere and all I can think is that it's a tick. Ick.

whew

Well our vacation is over! It had some really great moments peppered with some less than great moments. I guess that's always true. I'm just happy to be home.

We went to see a cave, a natural spring, and spent a couple of days canoeing down the Buffalo River. I was fun and I got a couple of good pictures.

vacation preparation

We're leaving Sunday for a week in Arkansas. I found a cabin in the middle of some woods and that's where we're going. Bird watching and hiking are the activities listed on the website. There's a tv but Yago wants us to spend a week in the woods sans tv, we'll see how it goes. We'll take lots of books and we'll have Ralph and the puppy with us so we shouldn't have a problem staying occupied.

We have a lot to do to prepare. I still have to buy a collapsable crate for the pooch. I always forget stuff, I wonder what it'll be on this trip.

busy summer

Did you see what happened on Oprah yesterday? Me neither!! I've been too busy! That stinks, at least they're all reruns now.

summer lessons

Tomorrow is Schmitty's last day of school. I'm watching my niece, we'll call her Bug, while Mistress of MooMoo is at work over the summer. My goal is to avoid the summer brain drain. Since Bug is already out of school we went to the public library and checked out some books. We're enrolled in the library's summer reading program.

I think I may get more of a lesson than the kids. A puppy, a Ralph, a Bug and a Schmitty? Am I crazy?

Schmitty's been going through a stage that I'm afraid is going to last in to his mid-twenties. He'd rather be holed up in his room than hang out with the family. Really? At eight years old? I expected it when he turned 14. I sense he thinks I'm an idiot that just drones on and on about meaningless crap. It's quite annoying.

nightmares past

I had the worst nightmare last night and thinking about it this morning I don't know why I was so bothered by it. I had a dream I was flying in the RJ again. That alone is enough to make my stomach turn...

I'd forgotten a lot about flying, like I have to take a Dramamine. We'd just taken off and I was nauseous looking at my checklist which didn't bode well for the rest of the flight. Then we had to turn around and come back for something so I ran off the plane to get something I'd forgotten. I was wearing a three quarter coat with a belt instead of my flight jacket. I returned to the plane to a failure letter that the pilot had written when he saw me running across the flight line in a dress coat instead of my flight jacket. The letter didn't just state that I'd failed my eval, it was malicious.

I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep for quite a while. I was thinking about how he'd written it'd been six years since my last flight and after doing the math it'd been nine years. How dumb is that?

yago came back...

Thank goodness, Yago's back! We went to Schmitty's music festival on Saturday and he did very well, he got a little music medal. He made a couple of mistakes but overall did great. He's never been judged or graded before. I asked him if he wanted me to check to see if I was allowed to go in with him. He said no. Hmph.

Sunday afternoon we went for a family bike ride on a local trail. I drove Schmitty's and my bike on the car while Yago rode his to the trail entry point. After the ride we realized we didn't have any wine for dinner and since I didn't bring my wallet Yago had to stop on the way home. He had a backpack he put it in and it reminded me of when Mickity used to ride over to my house at Laughlin with wine in her backpack.

Rana got her haircut today, I think she looks a little funny. She's super fuzzy, still cute.

Rana!

For God's sake, you've only lived here two and a half weeks! Why have I given you your fourth bath already?! Stay out of the soil, will ya? And Ralph... please don't let her in when she's black and covered in dirt. You two are quite a pair.

Yago comes home tonight! I can't wait to drink the Spanish wine Mickity brought us with the cheese and walnuts. If he gets in late we'll have to do it tomorrow night. He's not supposed to get in until around midnight but he'll try to leave earlier.

Tomorrow Schmitty will be playing at a music festival held at UNO. He'll take a written test, a listening test and then play two pieces. They'll judge him give their feedback. That should be interesting.

kids

A while back I read a blog entry written by a man in his 50s about how he liked his kids. He wrote that he didn't think most families felt that way, I think I agree.

I genuinely like my children, that's not to say that I don't frequently feel like pulling out every strand on my head. That said, I do really think my kids are funny and interesting people that I would rather be with than without. I think some people just don't really enjoy being with their kids and that's sad. It makes me wonder why, I don't get it. I love the conversations I have with Schmitty and Ralph does the most unexpected things that make me laugh.

If I had a traditional custody arrangement with Schmitty's biological father I would be climbing the walls. I couldn't stand it if he was gone every other weekend with an extended stretch over the summer. (Luckily, I won't have to worry about that!) It'd be lonely and quiet around here, I don't even like when the school year starts. I'll be heartbroken on his thirtieth birthday when he moves out! Maybe when they're teenagers I'll change my tune and become one of those, "When you turn 18 you're on your own" parents but I doubt it. Even with the midget.

a big step forward

The biological signed the consent form for termination of parental rights and the adoption!! Yippee. I'm still counting on my lawyer to file the case and request a court date but YAY!!! Please happen soon, please happen soon...

I went to the country club where I sat at a table with ladies that belonged to the club and who owned acreages. Apparently life is pretty tough when you live on an acreage, the recycling truck only comes once a month. Total bummer. I forgot my orange arm band.

bye new sam

I was super excited yesterday when I met the kids that live right behind us. I was walking with Ralph and Rana (Schmitty took off ahead on his bike) when a kid approached and asked if I was Schmitty's mom. Apparently he knows Schmitty and wanted to meet him at the park. His mom wouldn't let him go so he asked if Schmitty could come over and play.

I thought, "Finally! We found a kid the right age nearby, it'll be great for the summer." But then, before bed Schmitty told me they were moving in a couple of weeks. I think I was more disappointed than he was. It would have been perfect.

blind goldendoodle drama

I was irritated this afternoon. I drove across town to have some blinds fixed and when I got there the girl working had no idea how to help me. "I wish Brian was here..." Of course I talked to Brian on the phone a few days ago when he told me to stop by and he'd fix them free of charge. (It was the least he could do because he just fixed them a few weeks ago before they broke again.) I pressed Brian to set up a time because it's about a half hour drive out there. He said to just stop by whenever. Grrr.

Then I got home and let the dog out because she'd been in her crate for hours. I opened the door to let her in and her muzzle and legs were covered in black. Crap. She dug up some daffodils that Yago planted in a container. Now it'll smell like wet dog all night. What was I thinking trying to juggle a Ralph and a puppy? I've given that darn dog more baths than my child in the last couple of weeks.

Tomorrow is the PTA luncheon at the country club, I have no idea what I'm going to wear. All my clothes are too tight and I can't lose 10 lbs overnight. That means I'll have to squish myself in to some faded jeans and figure it out. Whatever.

yago come back...

Yago is in Tampa until late Friday night for a conference. It stinks when he's not here, I don't really know what else to say. I bought Marie Callendar's pot pies for dinner which I would never do if he were here. Now I feel bloated and disgusting. I eat better when he's here.

The house a couple of doors down sold which makes me happy. It's the same layout as ours but the basement isn't finished. It wasn't on the market too long so I'm hoping that translates to a positive selling experience on our part in a couple of years.

Ralph says his first German word now. Nein. It's funny because Ralph says "nein" and Schmitty says "doch". It's the equivalent of nuh-uh, yah-huh.

The pup is doing pretty well with the training. She's had a couple of minor accidents but now she seems to sniff near the door and then sit down when she wants to go out. I still don't let her out of my sight outside of the crate because I'm not THAT confident (plus she chews EVERYTHING).

I gotta go watch The Biggest Loser finale. I hope Tara wins. BTW, we were totally bummed that Margie and Luke didn't win The Amazing Race. They were Schmitty's favorite team, that made them my favorite team.

my happy day

Yesterday was Mother's Day and although it was busy I had a good day. I really try not to let a day pass without thinking about how good my life is. I have a great husband (even if Mickity thinks he has a mean streak) that makes me laugh regularly. My two boys are SOOO very different but they both make me smile every day.

Mickity wasn't kidding about all the wine and cheese we consumed, I haven't eaten that much cheese in the past year. And wine? I don't even know how many bottles we consumed. She watched the boys while Yago and I went to the Gala. I actually had fun, it was neat. (The open bar didn't hurt!) I thought I would feel out of place and self-conscious but didn't. It was interesting walking around and looking at all the items up for auction. We had winning bids for the Overnight Bash hosted at the school for third and fourth graders, a month of Tae Kwon Do lessons for Schmitty, and an 11x14 family portrait.

I went to the doctor for chronic neck and back pain that I've had every single day since November. He gave me a prescription (for basically Aleve), exercises and exercise bands. They took x-rays but I haven't heard anything on those which means they're probably normal. If it's not better in 6-8 wks I need to go back. I was optomistic because the pain subsided shortly after I started the medication but it's back with a vengeance so I guess it'll take some time.

I'm going to go work off some of the cheese from over the weekend...

my place

Today I drove to the recycling center and saw I place I hadn't seen before. I took a different way because the easy way to get there has been torn up since we moved here. Every time I go I think, "They've GOT to be done with that dumb construction by now!" but they're not. Then I get confused and take a different way every single time. Today I drove down Q St and saw Waldo's Pub. It made me laugh a little. It didn't look like a classy place...

a pain

Schmitty's biological father is being a pain about the adoption. I shouldn't name call but I'm tempted. He's making it far more difficult than it would be if he just came out and contested it. If he contested it we could move forward but instead he's not signing anything, he's making it impossible to be served, and he's being hostile to everyone. I wished I were surprised. Everyone looks back on exes and says, "What on earth was I thinking?" but this has really made me wonder. What was I thinking?

Mickity will be here later this week, that'll be fun. She's always good for some entertainment. I wish she could stay longer.

We have the Golden Gala at Schmitty's school Friday night, that's been a big deal for a while. I'm curious about how it'll turn out. I've never been to a gala before!

Cinco de Mayo was a bust yesterday. I guess I should have known but I was hoping for a lot of good food and drinks that weren't there. The dog came back so dirty I had to give her a bath. Wet dog.

I can't believe school's almost over, I'm excited.

ads

I don't know why but I just clicked on monetize on blogger. I could post advertisements and every time one of them was clicked on I could make money. (Fat chance with the whopping three readers I have... no offense.) It said the ads would be chosen based on my blog content. Now I'm curious. What company would read my content and decide this was the platform they wanted to use to get their company's name out there? Really.

calgon take me away...

I'm a grouch today. I tried to go to Schmitty's May Day event at school but it was apparently rained out, a complete waste of my morning. Then I came home and started dinner (I'm making a time-consuming dish for my parents) while cranky Ralph was crying and whining most of the time. Throw in a puppy that's not house trained yet and you have my day. I hope it gets better.

I have to go pick Schmitty up from school... Where the heck did the day go? My house is still a disaster and I've been busy all darn day. I really don't like that, if I'm busy all day my house should be clean.

lord help me

We got a goldendoodle pup.

jiggles

I had been doing so well with the exercise routine... I was doing something four or five times a week, taking weekends off. This past week has been busy and I'm creeping up on a week of not doing anything. That makes it harder and harder to start again because I know it won't feel good and I'll be sore afterward.

In related news, I've been wanting KFC for weeks now. This afternoon while out running errands I finally broke down and went. It was scrumptious. I read that KFC is the worst fast food you can eat, Taco Bell follows close behind. Luckily I only eat there once every year or two.

Friday's the French Market. I'm seriously trying to talk Schmitty in to smuggling a nutella crepe home in his pocket!

back to moby...

Yesterday afternoon I finished The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I had been reading Moby Dick when Edgar Sawtelle arrived so I started reading Edgar and couldn't put it down. It was such a great book but I must say I found the end disappointing. You want all the loose ends wrapped up and the good guy to win but it wasn't like that. Now I have to go back to Moby Dick tonight. sigh

short trip

I'm going to drive Yago crazy, I know it. I won't mean to but it will happen. I talked to him last week about something giving him the opportunity to squash the issue once and for all but he gave me a teensy bit of encouragement. That was all I needed. (I can't get specific, sorry.)

Now I'm obsessed and researching like crazy. He's giving me eyerolls and I can see he regrets being open to the idea.

I feel sorry for him. He really shouldn't have married such a crazy lady.

peas

Ralphie just started saying, "Please." It's so funny, it sounds like "peas" and I don't think he has exactly put together what it means but it is the cutest thing. After a two-day battle trying to get him to say it, he now says it all the time because of the big response it gets. He just walked over in front of me, jumped and said, "Peas!" Cute as can be.

Schmitty begged me not to go on his choir field trip today, even though I had no intention of going. They are going to sing at an old folks home and at a city garden. He informed me that my attendance would embarrass him. I asked what would be embarrassing and he replied, "Your appearance." I'm not sure how to take that. I didn't ask any follow-up questions because I wasn't sure I wanted the answers. So soon? Really? I didn't think my presence would be humiliating for another three or four years.

post 9/11

I think I might be eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill! Yippee!

As a dumb 19-yr-old in Basic Training I turned it down. When your base pay is about $600/month and they want you to give away $100/month, it seems like a lot. Especially when you're miserable and in day three of training. I was still wondering what the heck I was thinking signing up for the military! I thought there was no way I was going to be IN the Air Force for a year. I planned out separating as soon as I got out of basic training. (I'd considered drinking shampoo during training but our TI said it would just keep us in San Antonio longer because of the mental evaluation.)

But it looks like even if you've turned it down in the past you'll be eligible! That'd be great. I could take classes when the midget starts school and still be able to pay the kids' tuition! It looks like the VA will start taking applications next month, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

gabby-gab give a midget the keys

That's what Yago calls it.

I was at football practice yesterday with Ralph. I was talking to another mother when Ralph saw the car key tied to my sneaker. He started pulling and screaming so I gave it to him. I have a strict rule that he's not allowed to play with my keys but Yago always lets him play with his. Since it was Yago's key and he was throwing a fit I decided to just let him have it.

About fifteen minutes later I realized Ralph didn't have the key in his hand anymore, I looked at my feet to make sure I hadn't taken it back. I asked Ralph, "Where are the keys?" He just looked at me until I got up and asked again. Then he waddled over to the manhole cover where he'd been playing. No no no. There were little cut outs just big enough to fit adult fingers. (no, please no) Sure enough, he pointed to one of the holes.

Some guys lifted the cover and the thing was full of water and cabling. That's how we lost a set of Yago's keys.

Replacement cost? About $200.

here comes waldo cottontail...

I was a complete idiot yesterday.

Schmitty and I had just finished up some calligraphy and he was putting the kit away, it was an Easter present. He closed the kit and said, "What do ya know, the Easter bunny spent $19.95 on my calligraphy kit!" I asked him where he saw that, because I knew I had taken the sticker off. He pointed to where it was printed on the back. I said something and he replied smiling, "Or maybe you did!" I smiled back at him and replied, "Maybe I did." I immediately knew I had made a mistake, his face turned red and his smile vanished.

I felt sooo bad. I thought he knew because the day before Easter he reminded me that I needed to buy Peeps.

He started crying and I started apologizing, profusely. I hugged him and told him that I was sorry, I thought he knew. I said, "You kind of knew, didn't you?" I felt him nod against my ribs. When he stepped away to get a tissue I told him I was going to change Ralph's diaper. I called him over after a couple minutes and asked if he wanted to talk about it or pretend it never happened and he chose the latter. I high-fived him and we haven't mentioned it since.

I took him to Sonic and bought him some ink.

jelly bellies

I left a trail of jellybeans from Ralph's bed to his Easter basket. Unfortunately, the only jellybeans at the grocery store were Jelly Belly. He hopped out of bed, tossed the first one in his mouth and promptly spit it out. From there on he just fed them to Yago and me. Turns out, the one he spit out was pina colada flavor.

I'm a little disappointed that his glider bike is a bit big for him, his feet don't touch the ground which really defeats the purpose. He is growing fast though so maybe it won't be too long.

Yago and Ralph went to the grocery store, nice and early on Easter morning. It was Yago's idea. I'll take this time to finish up some menu items and clean in peace.

the fat machine

That's what they should call The Pizza Machine. They have a buffet (to include a pizza bar) that was less than tasty. Luckily, I was starving so I ate a ton food that was not only really bad for me but didn't taste very good. We left and Yago said it was everything that is wrong with America, I found that comment apropos. It was like a casino for kids. It had the awful carpeting and games games games. There was non-stop noise, blinking lights, and kids running around. It would have been okay if they didn't have a different song blaring at each game or booth and if there weren't a bunch of loser adults there playing.

I made two pies today and it's taking everything I have in me to wait until tomorrow to cut them. It's torture looking at them all beautiful on the counter. I made sure I had the ingredients for the pies everyone else likes. I wanted a pecan pie but I don't have the corn syrup, that's a bummer.

I bought some $4.50 wine today and it tastes like $4.50 wine. I'm a trooper though, I'll drink it anyway!

Schmitty's spending the night at his friend's house. It's a little weird to spend Easter Eve at someone's house but he was invited and he wanted to go... That'll take the pressure off my preparations tonight. The midget doesn't even know that Easter is coming. I don't do a good job of building such things up. It always sneaks up on me.

Yago's bathing the midget right now. Those two are cute together. Yago just told me that the midget is in the tub sticking his penis in his bellybutton. That's funny. I don't care who you are.

We got midgy a glider bike for Easter. It's basically a little bike with no pedals. He just uses his feet and hopefully learns a little balance. It what the Europeans use. I was amazed in Germany, kids that lookes like babies could ride bicycles without training wheels. In fact, they don't even have training wheels over there. But seriously, four-year-old Schmitty looked like a little retarded kid riding a bike with training wheels because kids there rode bikes without training wheels when they were two.

I don't have much else to post. Waldo out.

Good Friday

I've horked down a bunch of meat on Good Friday, oh well. We went to Runza for lunch and we're meeting some of Yago's family at The Pizza Machine tonight. At least I got a little workout in today.

After lunch, Schmitty and I made pierogies. I can't wait to eat them Sunday. It's not my grandma's recipe but I thought it would be bad form to call my aunt while her husband is dying. I found a recipe on the Internet and gave it try, it's so time consuming. It was two hours work for three dozen pierogies, and that's with the filling prepared ahead of time. At least I had good company helping me.

I'm going to work on taking a shower, I'd love to squeeze in a nap afterward but that's asking the impossible. Ralphie's already up from his nap. (sigh)

spring break

Schmitty's spring break began today. So far we've spent the morning bickering over the television. I like watching The Golden Girls in the morning even though I've seen every episode a thousand times. There's just something about it I find amusing and relaxing.

It's supposed to be nice out today but so far it's just been dull and gray outside. I hope it gets more cheery, it's hard to summon up the motivation to do anything.

I'll enjoy one more cup of coffee then get ready to go to my parents for a bit.

friends

I just heard that the average person has 100 friends on facebook. Are you kidding me? Maybe it's because I can count mine on one hand but I think that's stupid. Just stupid. I could solicit a bunch but for what?

Schmitty WON the mini Battle of the Books contest. To clarify, his team did. But he was the only kid in his class on that team so he feels pretty special. The winning team gets treated to a pizza party.

I think I found a cabin in the Ozarks for our vacation. Not Yosemite or Yellowstone but still has potential.

stocked pantry

Mickity pointed out that I didn't post about Schmitty and me working at the food pantry. Let me preface by saying I called the daycare to see if they had space available for Ralph that day but they did not so I took him with us.

When we got there the volunteer coordinator didn't want Ralph near anything for his own safety. Therefore, Ralph and I stood off to the side while Schmitty sorted boxes full of canned goods. He worked alongside some old fellas from the Kiwanis and younger guys that were apparently doing community service.

It wasn't what I had in mind. One black guy kept asking me why Schmitty was there. Was he being punished? Was he bad? I kept saying no. I recounted the story to Schmitty and he said, "Yeah, I heard. He kept asking me too." We stayed for two hours and then I took him out to lunch. We went to Runza, yummy. I should eat there more often.

sprinkler

This morning I sat Ralph on the toilet and he let out the littlest sprinkle. I was thrilled! I'm hoping this leads to something!

Schmitty's school is putting on a French market that will be fifth graders working as vendors to the lower school French students. Only French will be spoken and they'll use poker chips as Euro. We got the flier yesterday soliciting donations from parents: Gruyere, brie, cream puffs... Yum. They'll have a crepe station and a chocolate-dipping station for strawberries and other fruit. I would give anything to be a French student that day.

sans screaming midget

I was trying to research a vacation to a national park over the summer to go camping and hiking. I was looking at the big ones, like Yosemite or Yellowstone. I think we're going to shelf those plans this year though. It's torture driving the 8 hrs to OKC, I can't imagine a minimum of a 16 hr drive with Ralph. We don't have a big enough budget to fly anywhere and a long drive is out of the question... Maybe we'll just wind up seeing what Wayne Newton is up to in Branson, Missouri. sigh

Tomorrow Schmitty is off from school due to parent-teacher conferences so we're going to spend the morning volunteering at the local food bank. I'm excited, hopefully it will interest Schmitty too.

Yago and Schmitty planted to herbs last night. That should save us a bundle over the summer. I can't wait.

Working

Yesterday we went and saw the upper school's presentation of the musical Working. Sam insisted on wearing his suit, sans dress shirt and tie--he replaced them with his argyle sweater. He really loves "that look." He stood in front of the mirror looking at himself, pushing up his sleeves. He would have been a huge fan of Miami Vice and the 80s in general.

We bought a bunch of things to begin a modest garden. Although we're excited to garden we're reluctant to dig up the yard when we'll be selling in a couple of years. Not to mention the fact we'd like to enjoy the tiny fortune we spent last year getting the grass purty. We bought a bunch of herbs, a rose bush, berry bushes, hanging tomatoes and hanging strawberries. It'll be cool. We plan on buying more once the weather gets better, it's still early to do much here.

Yago had his "procedure" done Friday, I'm proud of the lil' buckaroo. That's all I'll really say about that.

Church didn't go well this morning. Schmitty and I got in to at the end of mass. It started with the nonstop tinkering of his velcro watch and snakeskin bracelet. After two warnings I demanded both items, he wasn't a happy camper. He tossed the bracelet at me which I wasn't happy about. I followed him up to receive the Eucharist and he was just leisurely strolling back to the pew swinging his arms like he owned the place. I told him his hands were supposed to be folded but apparently he didn't hear me. I won't even talk about the kneeler. By the time I got to the car I was pretty annoyed. I threatened him with staying for the 1100 mass that started in 25 mins. He threw a fit worthy of Ralph! I found it interesting that staying for the second mass was apparently viewed as a punishment worse than... Well anything else I can think of. I'll have to file that away in the ol' brain.

conquest

Ralph figured out how to open his bedroom door this afternoon while he was supposed to be napping. I'm less than thrilled. There was no nap today, needless to say.

I was flipping through channels this today and found a Gordon Ramsay show I hadn't seen before. (He's not yelling and cursing.) He's raising two pigs on his property with the intent to eat them. He showed us their pens and what they eat, then they showed industrial pigs. It was basically what I read about in The Omnivore's Dilemma but on film. They showed the pens, filth, tail-docking and castration. It was disgusting. I'm glad we don't eat as much meat anymore.

(I don't have a problem eating meat but eating animals raised in decent conditions.)

shy?

So I don't know why but I've been avoiding talking to people I used to work with. I see random people and try to ignore them or avoid eye contact. I saw Dudley and Purdy at the promotion party Friday and didn't say, "Hi." I did see Luz at Baker's and said, "Hello," but he didn't react at all. He just said, "Hi" and went about his shopping.

i'm it

I discovered something Sunday: Playing tag is hard, playing tag at 36 in sand is just begging to be humiliated. My eight-year-old tagged me and I wasn't ever letting him win. Just to make sure I knew he yelled, "I got your left cheek!!" at the playground. Not cool.

How do kids spend hours playing tag?

partying

Friday afternoon was Yago's promotion party at the club, here's a rare picture of all of us together. I was surprised by the food, they had freshly carved roast beef sandwiches, turkey, shrimp cocktail, etc. I thought it'd only be deep-fried appetizers.

Saturday we celebrated the midget's birthday. We had family over for hot dogs, hamburgers and Elmo cake. (See the poor house post.) I was pleased with the cake until I looked at the pictures and Elmo appears to have a harelip.

After all that "partying" we spent today just kind of laying around. Schmitty and I went to church early while Ralph and Yago went to Whole Foods but otherwise I've been hanging out on the couch.

or 26th street

I bet the "poor house" is located somewhere on Sesame Street.

I've been trying to figure out what we're going to do for Ralph's birthday and I decided to do an Elmo cake. I saw those cake pans everywhere and figured he'd love it. (Elmo is one of the few words he says. Still no mom but he says Elmo.) Ever notice how when you're not looking for something it is every damn where and when you want to buy something, it cannot not be found any damn where? That is the case with the Elmo cake mold.

After searching local Walmarts, Targets and the BX, I finally drove about half an hour across town to a specialty store. They had all kinds of molds, I found a cat mold that I considered for a few minutes. (Cat is another word he says, still not mom or momma or mommy.) The cat mold was less than $5. I found an Elmo mold, albeit not the one I wanted, but Elmo nonetheless. I hussled to the register and that darn thing came to almost $16 with tax. What the heck?

happiness

The HUGE news of today is I got an email from Schmitty's biological father, a snide one at that. But, it did serve to verify where he is since it was sent from his work account. I've been emailing and calling every number I've had for him over the last eight years looking for him. He finally responded to read me the riot act for having an attorney contact him. I don't care, I'm just thrilled that we can serve him now!

The weather was in the mid-70's today. It's so nice to see people out walking their dogs and playing with their kids. It makes you happier just seeing other people! I took Ralphie for a bike ride to the park and we played outside for a while. It was great. Now the boys (including husband) are all out kicking a ball around the yard, I'm supposed to be doing dishes. It's so much fun watching them play though, it really makes me happy.

Friday is Ralphie's second birthday, he's a lot more fun now than he was a year and a half ago. He cracks us up every day. We're going to celebrate his birthday on Saturday instead of Friday. Friday afternoon/evening is the majors' promotion party, plus I think it'd be easier for my family to come over on a Saturday than on a Friday night.

mmm, pie

It seems like a lot is going on right now. Today is Pi Day at school, because Saturday is 3/14. They're having a contest to see who memorized it the furthest. Yago found a website with a song but we didn't dedicate any time to it, he only got as far as 3.141592. There were other things going on this week, it was a struggle to get the homework some nights.

I made lunch for Ralphie, whole-wheat spaghetti with pesto sauce and steamed broccoli. I finished mine and started dishes only to catch Ralph trying feverishly to stuff a floret up his nose. It was so funny I couldn't yell at him, I mean I did tell him to stop but while laughing. What is wrong with this child?

Jessica emailed that it was funny I refer to him as Ralph over email. Fact is, I call him Ralph in person. Coworkers sometimes got confused. :^)

Well, I guess there's not really much going on after all.

bad waldo

I woke up this morning and weighed myself, 139. I was pleased, that's three pounds in a week. I haven't been starving myself or anything, just eating mostly vegetarian and exercising a bit every day. Then, I had to go and make homemade blueberry pancakes. I haven't made a good breakfast in a while... At first I thought I'd just make them for the rest of the family but of course I had to eat some too. I think we're going out to dinner tonight so that won't be a low calorie meal either.

I'd better get going if I'm going to run any errands today.

dear jcrew,

When you send me an email entitled "Private Sale" I expect something very wonderful. When I see that I have to spend $175 to get 20% off, I don't really consider that special or wonderful.

Kisses,
waldo

time crunch

This morning was a bit of a disaster. I forgot it was Tuesday which means Schmitty has to be to school 45 minutes early for choir practice. I remembered about 15 minutes after we should have left. We tore out of here hoping to get there before it was over. On the way Schmitty remembered it was also chapel day which means a different uniform. We had to come back home, search for the sweater and eventually pull it out of the bottom of the dirty clothes. He's a wrinkled mess but I'm really off my game. This is the first "normal" week I've had in a long time where I'm not working. It was a mess.

Also? Notice how everyone drives like an idiot when you're in a hurry? Yep. It took twice as long as usual to get to school. There was an accident where I had to merge right and some retard woman in her HUGE suv wouldn't let me in after I conscientiously signaled and started merging. She was being a total jerk and I finally started nudging over when she honked. That just annoyed me, I looked and she was talking on a pink sparkly cell phone. I hate cell phone drivers. Really.

I'm up to 142 so it's time to start the diet again. I've been working out for about a week but it's time to watch what's going in too. Ugh. I hate that since I've gotten older I really have to keep an eye on my weight. It's annoying.

Last but not least: My super-duper husband just found out he made major and got picked up for school!! I'm so happy for him. I'm excited he got school too, he's so cool.

not gettin' it

I'm just really not getting it. I can't hang with the myspace, facebook, texting, and whatever twittering is. It's all too annoying and a total timesucker. I'm just really not that interested but then feel like I should be interested because everyone else is. I'm just not.

what a trip

We went to Oklahoma last Friday night and got back Wednesday afternoon. The trip down was terrible because of Ralphie. He screamed and cried, basically drove us nuts. There's only so many renditions of Itsy Bitsy Spider I can go through before I give up.

I picked Schmitty up from school Friday afternoon, the last day before his winter break. I was talking to Schmitty and his friend when they said good-bye to Charlie. Schmitty's friend called, "Have fun in Hawaii!" Hawaii?! In third grade? Are you kidding me? Then I realized who we were talking to. I asked the friend what he was doing for winter break and he replied, "We going to our house in Colorado." Another house? In Colorado? What the heck? Craziness.

I'm done working for a while and it feels great. I got to work out and do stuff around the house.

I think I'm taking the kids to the Children's Museum today. We'll see. Maybe I'll even take a couple of pictures.

dumped via voicemail, kinda

We're heading to Tulsa tonight, we'll be back Wed night. I'm finally off today, yippee! What have I done today? Let's see... I made bacon and eggs for breakfast, washed dishes, got on the treadmill for a few minutes, took a shower (with a midget), made lunch, cleaned up lunch. Very exciting stuff but it's better than getting up at 5:45 and sitting in an office all day.

Oh, and I answered about five telemarketing calls today. I hate them. They're recordings so you can't even get them to stop calling. I guess I could sit through the five minute schpeel and then wait on hold for an actual salesperson but who has the patience? Very annoying.

I called to try to fire our lawyer today but he hasn't called me back. How's that? I can't even fire the guy because he won't take my call! I told the receptionist that I wanted to talk to him about getting the remainder of our money back. I foolishly thought he would call. Silly me.

and so it begins...

Schmitty spent Friday night at his friend's house along with a couple of other boys. The family has more money than I can imagine. Schmitty came home with an orange wristband and when Yago asked about it he explained it was given to him to remind everyone that Schmitty is the youngest, shortest, and poorest of the group.

I found this to be extremely mean and hurtful but Yago's response was, "He'll have to get used to it and figure out how he's going to deal with it." I was at first offended by his matter-of-factness but realized he's right. Schmitty still loves his school and he's going to have to deal with it.

penguin poo

I went to the zoo with Schmitty's class today. It was fun but it really stressed me out. I had Ralph BUNDLED up in a t-shirt, thermals, sweatshirt, winter coat and we spent the whole time inside! I thought we'd be wandering outside for four hours but NO! We were in an indoor jungle, an indoor desert, looking at penguins inside! My God, I was a sweaty mess with a grumpy baby. I'm glad we went, I'm just still trying to destress.

Schmitty's President's Day presentation at school was super! I was so proud of him, it was the cutest thing ever. I can't even describe it except it made me teary eyed to watch.

Schmitty's spending the night at his friend's house tonight, he couldn't be happier. It's the first time he's been invited to someone's house since we moved here. We'll pick him up for a basketball game in the morning and then he's spending Saturday night at Grandma's. We won't see him hardly at all this weekend but he couldn't be more ecstatic. Hmph.

Also? Three more days of work for FY09, thank God. I'm done next week!

quickly

I must hurry, I'm supposed to be in the shower so I'll be ready to go get our taxes done when Yago gets home from taking Schmitty to school.

The transition is going... Ralph was up for a long time last night crying. He'd pause for a few minutes, long enough for me to relax and think about sleeping, then start crying again. He's not what I would call excited about his "big boy bed." It's okay though.

Yago and I had a fabulous evening on Valentine's Day. We got a babysitter and dressed up for a night out. We saw, "He's Just Not that in to You." (Mostly because it was the only movie that fit in to our babysitter and dinner schedule.) Yago complained that his balls were still in the theatre after watching that chick flick but it was a decent movie.

We had reservations at Sullivan's, a valet parking and coat check kind of place. We sipped our martini's at the bar then were seated. We ate some oysters on the half shell, for entrees I had scallops in spicy Thai sauce with asparagus and Yago had a bone in ribeye topped with gorgonzola butter and horseradish mashed potatoes. Dessert was delicious. We had espresso, creme brulee for two, with a glass of dessert port that complemented the creme brulee. It was seriously the best creme brulee I've ever had. Mmm, just thinking about it!

Well, I'm off to the shower.

transition

We started today on transitioning Ralph to a "big boy bed." As you can imagine, it's going very well. We have a baby that really relishes new experiences and change. Not really. He was outgrowing his other sleeping arrangement so it's definitely time and he will eventually adjust.

We got a very cool snow day here. Schmitty was released from school early and the base closed at 9:30. Since I was on my annual tour orders I got to get out of there half a day early and don't have to make the time up. When I got home we walked to DJ's Dugout for lunch and a couple of beers with the kids. Trying to get there in 6-8 inches of snow with the jog stroller was fun, really. (Probably not as much fun for Yago who actually had the job of pushing the stroller.) We all came home and took a nap, well, Schmitty played multiplication games on the computer and read.

I'm so happy to be done with my annual tour! I have six more training days to complete for this fiscal year, they'll be done before March. I can't wait to get back to pulling clothes out of the dresser instead of the dryer. We have several loads of laundry that are washed and dried, just not folded or put away. Our bed hasn't been made in a week and I've gained about five pounds from the incessant eating out or eating quick (unhealthy) meals.

Maybe tomorrow we'll post a picture of a snowman!

opinion

I get annoyed when people refer to daycare-mates as classmates. When your kid is two years old they are not in a class, they don't have teachers, and they don't have classmates. They have all day babysitters. Sorry.

recital

This afternoon is Schmitty's first piano recital. He's only playing two songs and he goes first so after about three minutes I'll lose interest. I asked if he was nervous and he said no. He said getting nervous only makes bad luck easier to come by. The midget is standing by my side hollering, he hates it when I use the computer.

Yago has spent the weekend doing tedious chores. He has organized all my official paperwork, filled out our taxes, done the financial aid paperwork for 2009-2010, and planned the meals for next week. He's out buying groceries now.

My father-in-law left Thursday, it was a good visit. He cooked for us on the days I worked and watched the midget so we didn't have to take him to daycare. I think he changed his first diapers ever last week and he did it happily. While he was here Yago and I got to go out for a grown up dinner. It was the first time in a long while that we went to a restaurant that didn't have corndogs on the menu and we didn't feel the need to rush. We sat at the bar to wait for a table to become available. That's right, the bar. I was nervous that Yago wouldn't like Lo Sole Mio as much as me but he loved it too.

My blog entries will be rare this month because I'll be working, trying to run to all the after-school activities, and catch up on chores during the weekends. Like normal people. That'll stink.

opscomm

I was reading the... nevermind. Suffice it to say I get emails all the time from a network of spanish linguists. It's like a mass email system, the emails are sent to all the members. This is a fairly new thing to me and I don't even know most of the people that I receive these emails from but sometimes (rarely) it's interesting.

Anyway, someone was talking about getting together with another family and vacationing together. I don't really have anyone like that. I wish we had friends with kids similar ages that were about the same place in life as us. It's difficult because you also have to have about the same amount of disposible income and share the same interests.

how mad would i be?

Oh, I'd be VERY mad!

I just read Greek Tragedy today and the whole thing made me mad. If I was married to that guy, nevermind, I wouldn't be married to that guy. I don't care how much money he made, because really what else does he have going for himself? Nothing. He's not attractive, not kind, and he's a jerk. I'm fuming but feeling silly that I even care. That is not what I'd call a happy marriage. I guess that's what happens when you rush in to having kids and then get married when you're pregnant. Oh wait, I guess sometimes that can work out pretty well. ;^)

My father-in-law's coming up to visit for a few days, we just found out last night. He should be here this afternoon. He'll have fun with the boys, I'm sure. That reminds me, I need to make the bed.

Last night we went to Applebee's for dinner and I had cramps for about two hours afterward. (the gas variety) Man, my system isn't accustomed to eating that much fried food anymore. I really didn't feel well the rest of the evening.

I have a ton to do today and I don't think I'm going to accomplish much. I'd better get to work!

january madness

Yesterday we went to Schmitty's basketball game, he plays with the youth center on base. In the evening we went to his school's upper school basketball games. We watched most of the girls' game and half of the boys'. I think Schmitty was impressed with how the girls went after each other and how well the boys ran the ball down the court. It was fun and the midget behaved for about two hours.

Go Raiders!

jenny had a little lamb

It's supposed to get up to 24 degrees today, I'm pretty excited about that. It's been super cold. This weather has Yago talking about retiring to Florida, an idea I'm not crazy about.

We'll be picking up a lamb tomorrow (butchered, not a pet or anything). Finally something to put in our freezer downstairs. We have a few free range chickens but we've been looking forward to buying a more substantial amount of meat. Yago found some grass-fed lamb from a farm in South Dakota and they're making a delivery to Omaha this weekend. I'm anxious to see what I'll do with it. There's an Iraqi dish called Tepsi we like. Yago used to eat it (in Iraq) and brought home a recipe. I served it for my parents once and they liked it too. It takes hours to make by the time you fry all the eggplant and whatnot.

The midget's awake. We started putting him to bed at 7:30 which means he now wakes at 6:30, darn early.

Speaking of darn early, Yago's been working 6 am - 6 pm the last few days. I started out getting up and making him breakfast and packing his lunch, even sending him off with a Thermos full of coffee. Things quickly deteriorated. This morning I popped some waffles in the toaster for him and didn't realize we were out of syrup so he ate honey on them. Yuck. Then I nearly forgot to make him coffee to take in. Luckily, it was the last morning I'll have to do that for a while.

a cold drive

I need to work on my driving skills, I think. Schmitty keeps getting carsick on the way to school. I'm usually in a hurry and there are a bunch of rolling hills and stop lights. With the hills and my deceleration and acceleration, it's not a good combo. I try to keep him talking and distracted but it hasn't helped much. I wish he could ride in the front seat.

It's cold as can be, -13 this morning. It got up to -8 by the time I dropped Schmitty off. Eek.

The midget is offering to help me type so that's my cue to go...

wasted

Half my day so far has been wasted. I surfed the Internet forever looking for the bio father (BF) but I can't find him. I'll have to wait for the NE lawyer to contact the FL lawyer so the FL lawyer can sit on whatever he finds out for another two months. He told me in our last conversation he will call me. In other words, don't call him anymore. I'd be fine with that if we weren't exactly where we started five darn months ago. Back when I told him this would be a problem and he might have to subpeona the state of NE. I would pay whatever fee on a website if I was positive it'd be useful information. I don't want a list of 20 addresses without dates so that I don't know which one is current. I've been very preoccupied with this. Lawyers. What did I pay this guy $1500 to do?

I just heard on the radio that Andy Rooney is 90! Holy crap, I knew his birthday was coming up but I thought he was turning 80. When Ed Bradley died I was emotional, I can't imagine how I'll feel when Andy dies. You know, I always assume he's rich but he's so... cheap. Maybe five minutes on television once a week doesn't pay what I thought it did. Or maybe it's his generation, living through the Depression and all. He sure does love to save some money though!

This afternoon is parent teacher conferences, I have my list of questions typed out and ready to go. Unfortunately they got stepped on so there's a brown footprint on what is now a crinkled piece of paper. I can't use that. Since we don't have a printer I'll have to neatly write them on a clean piece of paper.

I'm so mad. (back to my opening paragraph) BF and I share custody. What if Schmitty just wanted visitation, which is perfectly within his rights. Why would the state not provide us contact information? It's such crap. The BF is supposed to provide health insurance, but isn't. What if there was an illness? Why the heck should I have to retain a lawyer in NE to subpeona his darn address and phone number?

apologizing in advance

I'm sorry Mickity but I hate lawyers.

Our lawyer is useless. In his defense, the state of Nebraska doesn't help. He got the paperwork together for the adoption, he's only been "working" on it since August, but realized he doesn't know where the bio father is. I've only been telling him that since, um, well, AUGUST. He finally looked in to getting the information from the state of Nebraska (that's where the support order is) and Child Services says they have to have a Nebraska-issued court order to release address information. It's such crap. The lawyer was bewildered that it wasn't a matter of public record. Whatever.

Yesterday was Schmitty's first basketball game, his team did very well. He even made a basket. There's a girl on his team that we knew from Laughlin, I didn't realize it until I saw her mom at the game. (She and Schmitty were only two so they don't remember each other.) It's a small AF.

Yago took the midget grocery shopping, he's a good husband. He told me not to run any errands while he was gone, I should just relax. He, on the other hand, hasn't relaxed all weekend.

We went to the nature center for story time yesterday. We turned out to be the only family there which was kind of awkward. Schmitty was busy with a display in a different area so the Naturalist read a story about a momma duck and her ducklings and a story about a family of owls. Ralph wouldn't hold still so essentially the naturlist read the stories to Yago and me. Like I said, awkward!

my day

Today my mission was the recycling center but I never made it, maybe they're open on Saturdays.

Instead, I took Schmitty to school. Then I took a shower and took Ralphie for his FIRST haircut, I haven't told Yago yet. I returned some audio books to the library. (They were for the drive to OKC.) And I went to the commissary to pick up some stuff to make homemade granola, it's currently baking.

Ralph sensed I was doing something I wanted to do and woke up from his nap, I gotta run.

first day

Today is Schmitty's first day at his fancy new school. He had his new Brownell Talbot shirt on, snazzy shoes, new sneakers tied to his backpack, and all. Ralph didn't behave one bit but Schmitty was calm and took it all in stride. His teacher said he could start French today, that was great news because it was his preference. I was afraid since the other kids have taken it since preschool that they wouldn't let Schmitty jump in with the rest of the class but it'll be fine. If he changes his mind he can switch to Spanish later.

We looked up his schedule yesterday, he was excited about having French, Science, and PE today. Speaking of that, we were looking up math and science camps for the summer. He wants to do the Amusement Park Robotics and the Earth Science camps. He tickles me sometimes.

love/hate shopping

Hey, shopping venues, take a little note from Victoria's Secret when it comes to dressing room mirrors.

I went shopping a couple of days ago to spend my Christmas and birthday money only to be horrified in the dressing rooms. Overhead flourescent lighting is a NO-NO when you're trying to get someone to spend money on your clothes. You want them to feel fabulous, not fat and wobbly when trying on merchandise. Let the customer get it home and wear it a few times before they feel like ten pounds of poo stuffed in a five pound sack. Really.

Also? After holiday sales stink... Unless of course you're a size 00, 0, 2, or XL. Those were the only sizes I found. I never was that size, ever. I went from a girls 14 to a brief acquaintance with 5 then straight to a 7. 00? Never have been and never will be.

Another thing. What on earth happened to pant legs since I last went shopping? I knew wide legs were coming back but everything I tried on felt like each of my legs had its own swinging skirt, I wasn't prepared for that. I'm so out of what's in fashion it's not funny.

I officially started a diet today, I want to lose 10 lbs in two months. I opened the diet with an omelet, perhaps not my best decision but I'll be good the remainder of the day. What else was I supposed to do with 32 eggs in the fridge? Really. Thirty two eggs.

the friend hunt

I feel like I haven't had a moment's rest in the last couple of weeks, it's been non-stop. It'll be nice to just sit and relax for a day. (Not today, but soon.)

I'm discovering that married couples making friends with other married couples is kind of difficult. It doesn't seem like it should be so complicated but it is. We had some people over for dinner last night and the kids got along great. (An added complication in befriending a couple, it helps if they have children about the same age as yours.) Yago works with the guy so they have a lot to talk about but the wife is a homeschooler which I initially found interesting until I realized that's about all she talks about.

I was thinking about someone I met at work recently, we used to work together years ago when we were both active duty. Her husband commissioned and is a major now, I thought maybe we could have them over but I really didn't like her husband fifteen years ago and I doubt I'd like him now. Really doubt. I found him to be an egotistical jerk and he could only have gotten worse.

Yago's home with our grumpy baby, I'll post more later.

Happy New Year. (late, of course)