Meet Your Neighborhood Army Ranger

This is what Big Brother made for his "Class Community" for Social Studies. (Do you think this is the look he will have on his face on the first day of Boot camp?) They had to research their organization, as well as learn about the professionals who would run the organization. Big Brother built a military base. He researched the job of an Army Ranger.


Army Ranger Rick was really kind and helpful, he took the time to answer some questions for Big Brother. I love how military people have encouraged him in his desire to pursue a military career. All the parents cam to see the communities and asked the kids questions. The kids had to discuss things like duties, salaries, etc. Big Brother was definitely in his element!

Meet McQuirky

My new friend Alicia over at Small Town Girl has tagged me! Apparently Girl has been to my blog a few times but not commented! Then she tags me! How does that work!? She doesn't know I don't do tags well. It's all good though, she gave me some comment love on my last post and I'm always glad to find a new blogger friend. So we're good! Bonus - she gave me my post topic for today.

So these are the rules as I understand them:

1. Link to the person who tagged you. (Done - ^)
2. Post the rules on your blog. (Done - <) 3. List 6 unspectacular quirks you have- (Done - v) 4. Tag 6 bloggers by linking them. (Done - vv) 5. Leave a comment on each taggee's blog to let them know they've been tagged. My 6 quirks:

• I don't wear makeup everyday. Sometimes I pick up my kids at school wearing no makeup.
• I have not cleaned my husband's bathroom sink in 4 months - to prove a point. I know it's gross, he thinks he can outwait me and has still not cleaned his own sink.
• I can't eat cheap hamburger, hamburger crunchies freak me out.
• I hate touching raw chicken.
• I can't eat Cheerios. They feel weird in my mouth when I'm chewing them. Since i was a kid. After they sit in the milk and I start to chew them, I feel like I'm chewing up worms or something. It's stupid, I know.
• The seams on socks bug me. I have to make sure they are really small and flat and higher on the sock, the kind that go past the toes.

So, now you know some weird things about me. Because Heaven knows, none of my other posts have exposed anything weird about me (that would be sarcasm). Now I have to choose 6 of ya'll! Mwuah ha ha ha ha! I evilly choose:

1. Mozi Esme
2. Life at Our Zoo
3. Choppz
4. Riding the Short Bus
5. The Milk Mans Wife
6. Joys of Boys

There ya go bloggy buddies! Lookin' forward to reading about your quirks now!

I'm Movin' On

So...I ended a bad relationship about 10 days ago. We've known each other for a long time. It's been coming for awhile, I knew it had to be done, I was just hoping the friendship would kind of die out. You know, the business of life would just kind of take us our separate ways and I could avoid the "awkward moment" or the "it's not you, it's me" conversation. I finally had to make a decision and end it.

I think the trauma is just setting in. I found myself struggling to keep it together today. I kept thinking that maybe I need to re-assess the friendship. My friend could be pretty cool. I mean, apart from the complete lack of concern for how their behavior affected me, it wasn't all bad. Having said that, I did stay up a lot of nights because of them. My friend has this way of getting me amped up.  But is it their fault that I get wound up so easily?

And if I'm honest, my friend was NOT good for my diet, either.  Everytime I started to make progress with changing my eating habits, they would cajole me into cheating "just a little." And I always felt completely drained after they were gone. Ever had a friend that became a complete energy suck?!

I can't lay all the blame at my friend's feet.  I must have gotten something out of the friendship to have let it go on so long, right?

Okay, I've got to quit second-guessing myself! I already made this decision, I need to move on. Moooove on. Moving on now. That's better.

One of the problems I have with this whole thing is that my ex-friend and I hang out at a lot of the same places. I'm gonna have to figure out a way to avoid them. It could be tough, we have a lot of common aquaintances. It's for the best though and I guess a little bit of awkwardness now is better than a lot of hate later on. I've said my goodbyes, I have to move on.

Oh - in case you're wondering.

Not At All Wordless Wednesday

Edit: It was brought to my attention that today IS actually Tuesday, I was thinking last night at 11:59 pm that I was a day behind, when apparently I was not! While I am clearly NOT a day behind, apparently I AM a moron. At least I don't have to post again tomorrow!

Here's today's original post, which now seems lame:

I didn't get a chance to write a "Tackle it Tuesday" post because I was busy trying to get the tackling thing done, which was writing a stupid article on something I knew nothing about. It really hurt my brain.

So anyway...Tackle it Tuesday is over and I will be Wordless from here on out for Wednesday's post. Wait...first I just have to tell you one more thing. Then I will be wordless.

Just kidding! Ah ha ha ha!! Made ya read!! Okay seriously...wordless now. Almost. Okay...not at all. In fact, this is quite wordy. So welcome to Wordy Wednesday:

This is our cat, Blackie Chan. This is when he was about 3 1/2 months old. He's about 6 months old now. We call him Blackie Chan cause he likes to jump up and karate chop the kids in the head with his paws. He also does these cool ninja kicks on Little Man when they chase each other around the house. He goes all Chuck Norris on the plants and the fish we got him with the bell in it. He throws it in the air, then does this quasi roundhouse kick thing. He's a hilarious cat. Him and Little Man are kindred spirits. He's going to the vet soon. Blackie Chan is going to lose his little furry nads. Hope it doesn't affect his roundhouse.

A Gift from a Grateful Guest

We had some weather issues yesterday late afternoon in Phoenix. Below are some okay pics, but to really get the full effect, check this out.

We went out on the front porch for a moment to see how bad it was gonna get (answer: really bad!) and the Toad (remember Toad?) came hopping out of my Lantana to hide up by the door behind an old milk can I have there. Little Man was concerned for Toad's comfort and put some grass and weeds there for him to rest on, which promptly blew away. When the dust started to roll over us, we headed inside and left Toad to his own devices. Toad was a good guest and thanked us properly for our hospitality. It was only when I found his little gift that I realized how scared he was during the storm:

Yes...it is exactly what it looks like. I'll have to rethink my open invitation to Toad until he gets a handle on his bowel issues.

Taking a Moment to Remember

In a critical election year, would it be possible to put behind us the partisan politics that have divided the country and return to a time when, even when there was a difference of opinion, we were all able to work together for the common good? Septemeber 11th, 2001 was one of the worst days the United States, as a people and a sovereign nation, ever faced. It was also one of our best moments. Heroes were made on that day. Patriots followed in their footsteps to carry on their legacy with a renewed determination to protect and defend America. While we remember those who suffered, can we remember how to get along? I think we owe it to those who gave their lives on this fateful day to try harder than we have ever tried before to regain our unity and strength as a populace. I'm just sayin'...

Tackle It Tuesday

Yay! I love "Tackle it Tuesday!" Can we have Tackle it Wednesday and Thursday too?

I think I have mentioned that I am domestically challenged. I know people don't always get it. I don't always get it. I just know for some reason I have this really big emotional issue attached to housework, I don't know what it is or why it's there, it just is.

Okay, it may have something to do with my getting it clean, only to have 2 boys and a man come in and wreck it in a 2 minute frenzy, then walk away completely oblivious to the fact that they just undid all my hard work! Hellooo! If I did that to His truck he would lose his ever lovin' mind! Or how about I walk over and topple every carefully placed Star Wars action figure of Big Brother's and walk away? Maybe I can...well, Little Man is a little less obsessed with his stuff, so he'd probably just go, "It's okay, Mom. I'm not mad at you, cause I love you!" That's how he rolls.

Then I'd feel like crap and I'd end up fixing whatever I did to his stuff with him and he'd give me a huge hug, then I'd go in my room and kick myself for being such a vindictive Mom and then all these other self-worth issues would come out and I'd end up in a fit of depression and Big Man would come home and wonder what happened, cause 5 minutes ago when he talked to me on the phone I was fine, then I'd have to tell him what a big slob he and the kids can be, which won't really help him find me endearing, which will also make me mad and blah, blah, blah.

So maybe it's just easier if I learn to enjoy the housework and teach the kids that taking care of where we live can be a fun experience. If not fun, at least tolerable. That's probably best.

I think I am actually making headway here, people!

Here's the kitchen today - BEFORE:

And AFTER:

We Have Our Winners!!

These are the winners of the Book Drawing. Big Brother wanted to help.



Congratulations to 4FunBoys, Rachael (who posted on another thread), Heather Pride and Micaela!! I can't wait to do another giveaway!!

(I realize the first draw looked kind of planned. Big Brother drew 4FunBoys then my camera batteries died. I put new batteries in, but lost the video. But we had already drawn 4FunBoys and I didn't think it was fair to disqualify her because of MY camera malfunction. So he just set that name on top and pulled it out of the bowl again for the video. But she really was the first one drawn in a fair draw just 2 seconds prior to the video starting. Did I really need to explain this? I just don't want anyone thinking I'm running some kind of racket here. I don't need no Uncle Guido comin' after me over a Precious Girl's Club book! Ya know what I'm sayin'? )

My First Giveaway!!! (Contest Closed!)

Whoo-hoo!! I have the opportunity, thanks to MomSelect and Precious Moments, to do a giveaway this month! I am really excited about it! I have boys, so I don't always get to be involved in girly things, so this is a really fun experience for me!

Precious Moments (you know, the cute little figurines?) has started a new club for girls, called the Precious Girls Club. It's aimed at girls ages 4-9 and the club focuses on wholesome values and helping girls feel good about themselves. The website offers a safe internet environment for girls to play and learn, as well as encourages character-based values, such as love, kindness and responsibility. It is an awesome place for young girls to visit, with all kinds of games, coloring pages, craft ideas and more!

The Precious Girls Club also uses books to teach these values. I am giving away 4 copies of the first book in the series called "A Little Bit of Faith." I sat down and read it and found it to be a great little book about a girl who moves to a new town and has to figure out how to fit in and make new friends. The underlying message is that every girl is precious and has worth and value.(Also applicable to every Mom!) So, since I don't have little girls, I shared one with my little niece, who started school this year and is having a really difficult time trying to fit in. I hope the message in this book helps her recognize how much she has to offer the world!

I love this whole concept and have to say "Kudos" to Precious Moments and The Precious Girls Club for introducing an alternative to the sometimes less than positive messages that the media bombards young girls with these days. (So can we figure out how to do something like this for our boys? How about the Stalwart Studs Club or the Dauntless Dudes Platoon? Okay, so I'm lame with the club name thing, but you get my drift, right?)

Alrighty!! Enough of my rambling...here's how to win a book!!! If you are a Mommy Blogger or an Aunt or Grandma or Best Friend Blogger who wants to win one of the books for your little girly (includes a scratch card for a free premium "Rainbow Membership" trial on the website), leave a comment about your favorite part of the Precious Girls Club Website . The giveaway ends on Sunday, September 7th, 11:59 p.m., Pacific Standard Time. I will notify the winners and announce them here on the website on Monday, Septemeber 8th! Have fun and thanks for playing!!

Sister Love

My sister and I are very close. We live about a half hour away from each other. We talk to each other on the phone almost every day, calling each other anywhere from 1 to 10 times. We discuss things. We chat. We vent. We share and we laugh.

One time she called about something and during the course of the conversation, she mentioned milk was on sale at a local grocery store. I was talking about it and my husband overheard. He was dumbfounded. "She called you to tell you milk is on sale?" My response? "Umm yeah...that's what we do. We call each other...like 6 times a day." He just shook his head and walked away. My sister overheard the whole thing and we both started laughing at the fact that men just don't get it.

It's Sistah Love!!

This is What I Heard ALL DAY TODAY!!!

I kept track...these are the actual words I heard from my children throughout the day. Obviously I need to have another training session about how we need to treat each other. Either that or I need a week away from home, BY MYSELF!!!

• You like baby shows.
• So you like idiot shows.
• Change the channel, I am NOT watching this again!
• Quit chewing with your mouth open.
• Shut up!
• We don't say that in this house, REMEMBER? (At least someone remembers!)
• Leave me Alone!
• Quit Touching Me!
• Get your feet out of my face.
• I'm going to kill you if you do that again.
• I'm telling!
• Get out!
• You are such a jerk!
• Who peed on the toilet? You're s'posed to wipe it off. Come wipe it off!
• That was my glass! You drank out of my glass!
• Gross! You just spit on me!
• I am sick of watching your show. It's always YOUR show!
• I asked first! I asked first!
• It's my turn now, you've been playing forever.
• You always cheat.
• Quit farting, it stinks in here.
• I don't care what you want to do, this is MY game!
• You ALWAYS cheat!
• I'm telling mom that you are being a jerk.
• Give me back my stuff. I said give it back!
• You are such a moron!
• I don't wanna play with you.
• You never let me play the game I wanna play.
• That's cause your games are stupid.
• No they aren't.
• Yes they are.
• OWWWWW! Why did you hit me?
• Cause you said my games are stupid. Why are you so mean to me?
• Why do you keep hitting me?
• Stop it!
• If you hit me one more time I will hit you back.
• I'm gonna throw the cat on you and make him scratch your face.
• What's your problem?
• You're a weiner head,
• No, you are.
• No, you are.
• AAUUGGHH!! Quit calling me that!
• Little man keeps beating the crud out of me.
• No I'm not. I'm hitting him because he's making me mad.
• Big Brother will not shut his mouth. He just keeps going Blah blah blah blah. He just keeps talking! It's making me so mad!
• He ate my cookie! That was MY cookie!
• You smell like a butt.
• How do you know what butts smell like?
  (Hysterical laughter - Finally some laughing from both of them!)
• Can we sleep in your bed?
• That's my pillow, yours is the stinky one cause your head sweats.
• Gimme that blanket. Gimme the blanket! I said give it to me! Fine, I'll rip your lion's tail off then.
• MOM!!
  
  That's my cue, folks. Wish me luck. This could get ugly.