Is It Christmas? Really?

I don't know why, but I don't feel like Christmas is just a few weeks away! Probably because I am a SEVERE slacker and haven't gotten any of my Christmas stuff down and have no Christmas shopping done! We don't even have a tree! I know, I suck! And of course we have THREE birthday parties this weekend! Ok, really two. Jerry is taking Pixie to one today and I am taking Bear to one and the J's party for both of them tomorrow. Sometimes it seems like our life is an endless string of parties and gatherings! I just want to go to bed! And right now, I am "monitoring" the library for the placement test at school. I say "monitoring" because it's not like I am actually doing much of anything! Watching parents who are waiting for their kids to take the test! So I sit here...and wait! Fun Times! I also have a headache being that I drank too much last night and was still a bit tipsy when I woke up at 6:30!!!

So other than party central not much going on. I am still obsessed with Twilight! Going to see it again tomorrow with Jen for "my birthday"! Yes, I know! My birthday is not for another week, but damn it! I want to see it again so I will come up with any excuse! And then I promise I won't see it again until the DVD comes out and then my obsession will begin anew! I am very ready for Christmas. Just a full week of school, then a week of half days for exams and then Christmas. Not looking forward to my birthday. Celebrating...yes. Actually turning 34...not so much! Altough I have to say, I am grateful that I am vain as I am (really not much, but just enough!) after looking at some of these moms waiting for their 13 year olds to take this placement test. They look really OLD and I think it has more to do with that they obviously DO NOT take care of themselves. I really hope I don't look like this in 10 years!

Sorry, that was bitchy and I am sure I will be punished in some way for that comment! Karma is a bitch! Anyway, another hour! I guess I need to go and re-read Eclipse!

You know you're from Louisiana when...

You know you're from Louisiana when...
-Your sunglasses fog up when you step outside, even in December.

-You reinforce your attic to store Mardi Gras beads

-You don't look twice when you see pink flamingos in yards of nice subdivisions during Mardi Gras.

-You save newspapers, not for recycling but for tablecloths at crawfish boils.

-Your ancestors are buried above the ground .

-You drink Community Coffee, have tried Starbucks, but don't see what all the fuss is about. (YEAH!!!)

-You take a bite of five-alarm chili and reach for the Tabasco.

-Every once in a while, you have waterfront property .

-You sit down to eat boiled crawfish and your host says, 'Don't eat the dead ones,' and you know what he means.
-You don't learn until high school that Mardi Gras is not a national holiday.

-You push little old ladies out of the way to catch Mardi Gras beads.

-Little old ladies push YOU out of the way to catch Mardi Gras beads .

-You believe that purple, green , and gold look good together.

-Your last name isn't pronounced the way it's spelled.

-You know what a nutria is but you still pick it to represent your baseball team.

-Your town is low on the education chart, high on the obesity chart and you don't care because you're No. 1 on the party chart.

-Your house payment is less than your utility bill.

-You know that Tchoupitoulas is a street and not a disease.

-Your grandparents are called 'Mam-Maw' and 'Paw-Paw.'

-Your Santa Claus rides an alligator and your favorite Saint is a football player.

-You cringe every time you hear an actor with a Southern or Cajun accent in a 'New Orleans-based' movie or TV show.

-You have to reset your clocks after every thunderstorm.

-You're walking in the French Quarter with a plastic cup of beer.

-When it starts to rain, you cover your beer instead of your head.

-You've eaten at one or more of these restaurants, AND know how to pronounce them: Prejeans, Tu Jac 's, Gallatoire's, Ralph & Kacoo's, Brunet's, or Mulatte's.

-You eat dinner out and spend the entire meal talking about all the other good places you've eaten.

-You call home just to find out what your momma'nem are having for supper tonight.

-You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Louisiana

Update...

So not much going on. Bear is now 5!!! I can't believe how big she is getting and of course I am the mean and nasty mama! Her words! God, I can't wait til they get in high school!!! It is going to be awesome!!! So, I have read Twilight 2 times now, and the parts that I like in the other books several times. I read all 4 in a week; I have become quite obsessed! I even got my friend at work addicted and SHE convinced me to go the midnight showing next week! Yea! We are nuts!!! Oh well, I have to be a little crazy every now and then! Of course, the fact that there will most likely be a bunch a crazy teen girls there is not making me happy. I am hoping that their parents tell them they can't come since it is a school night! :) So, not doing much this weekend, probably going to see the new James Bond movie, LSU game, and maybe a carnival. And then it will be Thanksgiving time!!! Where has the time gone!

Anyway, gotta go. We have Open House tonight so I am going to be here till like 10!

Love this pic of the mermaids!

I'm sorry in advance, but I love me some Amy Poehler...

Funny!

Someone at work forwarded this link to me. You have to read all the posts. If you were born after 1989, chances are you won't get most of these! And it's not political!

http://texags.com/main/forum.reply.asp?topic_id=1263589&page=2&forum_id=6

We're Done!

 

Smile!

 

Is It Just Me...

Or is that Sprint commercial where the girl, "thinks she is in love with a phone" is a tad bit disturbing? I want to pull my hair out everytime I see it!

New favorite show, The Ex-List; Fav I don't want to admit I watch...Ghost Whisperer! I'm addicted! Anywho! Got to get ready to go to Pennington...AGAIN! In the chamber...for the Florida game. Luckily, no more clinic visits for 6 months!! Whoo Hoo!!

Y'all are Going to Begin to get Sick of this...

Ok, I know! I need to stop puting these up, but I was laughing so hard while I was watching it I started crying! It is hilarious!!! And so spot on with how each of the canidates actually did. The fact that neither of them would actually answer the questions; the responses at times were so off the wall! You HAVE to watch the whole thing, even if you didn't watch the debate (I only watched parts) or even if you don't know a lot about the race! Hilarious!!Queen Latifah was so hilarious as the moderator! The looks she gives them sometimes! Classic!

Thought Provoking...

I was reading an article about the victims of Ike in Galveston, those that died. This is a clip from an article about one woman who stayed. She realized too late she had made the wrong decision; a thought she relayed in a phone call to a friend when the water was lapping around her feet. Too me that has just got to be the most horrible way to die: alone by the ocean where the likeihood that you will be washed out to sea is so great and that your reamins would never be found. So sad...


"Gail Ettenger stumbled upon her house in Gilchrist by accident. But once she saw the site on the bay side of Bolivar Peninsula, she knew she would never leave.

Ettenger, a native of New Jersey, instilled the house with her own energy and style. The 58-year-old's garden bloomed with vibrant birds-of-paradise.

And Reba, an 11-year-old Great Dane hobbled by arthritis, was her baby. Ettenger loved to treat the dog to dinners of chicken and roast beef, recalled JoAnne Burks, Ettenger's neighbor and close friend.

Ettenger, a chemist at ExxonMobil, didn't evacuate, reasoning that her house had weathered Hurricane Rita in 2005 without a problem. She also did not want to leave Reba, who could no longer climb into Ettenger's Jeep.

Burks and her husband pleaded with Ettenger to change her mind. But she insisted.

Hours before Ike made landfall, Ettenger knew she had made the wrong choice. She called Burks and described the water pushing up under her feet, the propane tanks and other household items drifting by her windows, and wondered which would float better: her Jeep or her house.

Her voice was shaky with fear, Burks said.

Burks spent the next 10 days searching for her friend, calling local, county and state officials without success. She tried the American Red Cross, FEMA, even private investigators.

"I didn't want her to wind up like the victims of Katrina, who were never found or identified," Burks said.

Ettenger's body was found Sept. 23, tossed on a debris field in a Chambers County marsh about 10 miles from her house.

Amid the muck and remnants of homes, Burks found a pink leather collar. The name Reba was spelled out in rhinestones."

Where is the Pumpkin?

Multiple Choice:
You buy a pie pumpkin, where is the most logical place to find it in your house when you have a 3 year old and a 4 year old?

a) The kitchen, of course silly!
b) The refrigerator. Your daughter thought it needed to be with the apples and bananas or it would get scared!
c)The hidden compartment in your child's stepping stool in the bathroom...along with the handle for a toy golf club, two wet wash rags, the cup for water in the bathroom and the hair brush you have been looking for the past 2 days!

You decide!

From the Superficial...Right on!

"Rare Soapbox Moment: I almost feel wrong writing about Paul Newman on this blog. The guy wasn't a celebrity; he was a fucking ICON. Working his way up from a small Ohio town, Paul was renown for his acting chops as well as his disdain for Hollywood "rubbish." After he grew weary of the movie business, Paul spent the latter part of his life giving literally millions of dollars to sick kids which puts him light years beyond the spoiled assclowns I cover on a daily basis. You know, the ones who pop out of their mothers' hedge-fund vaginas and expect the world to be served to them on a silver platter - along with a reality show. Paul Newman forged his own path with PERSEVERANCE and TALENT then selflessly gave back ten-fold. They simply don't make badasses like that anymore, and hats off to the handful of celebrities who've been inspired by his generosity. The rest of you, I hope a zebra shits on your foot.

Paul Newman, my coffee mug is raised to you, sir. Rest in Peace."

CONGRATULATIONS JENN!! OR SHOULD I SAY MRS. KNIGHT!!!

Just wanted to say congrats to my good friend, Jennifer who got married yesterday!! Hope Tahoe is beautiful and y'all are having a glorious time! Love you and can't wait for you to return to the madness at school! Of course, by the time you see this you will probably be back but just wanted to say I was thinking about you!:)

THe Word of the Day Is...

Fundamental...

Political Funny...

Monkeys!

Here is a cute pic of the cousins from our "evacuation" to Lafayette!

Hurricane funny...

Ok, no! We all know by now that they are not funny, but this is HILARIOUS! Last night a guy on the weather channel was talking about this guy in Surfside Beach (population 805) that decidied to stay and called it stupid b/c all the houses were on stilts and he was facing certain death. The guy survived. Here is a snippet from the AP about him.

"In Surfside Beach, retired carpenter and former Marine Ray Wilkinson became something of a celebrity for a day: He was the lone resident in the town of 805 to defy the order to leave. Authorities found him Saturday morning, drunk.

"I consider myself to be stupid," Wilkinson, 67, said through a thick, tobacco-stained beard. "I'm just tired of running from these things. If it's going to get you, it's going to get you."

He added: "I didn't say I had all my marbles, OK?"


A man after my own heart! Ah, Ray! Where is my drink please?

Dancing Girls!

So both the girls are into dancing now. Bear wants to pose every chance she gets with anyone in the vicinity. Pixie, not so much! Here are the few pics I could get.

Do I Really Need to Know What Matt Damon Thinks?

Matt Damon is a moron, and every other damn celebrity who thinks I give a shit about their thoughts on politics! This is an excerpt from an interview in which he talks about vice-presidential nominee, Sarah Palin: "You do the actuary tables, there's a one out of three chance, if not more, that McCain doesn't survive his first term, and it'll be President Palin. It's like a really bad Disney movie, "The Hockey Mom.' Oh, I'm just a hockey mom from Alaska, and she's president. "She's facing down Vladimir Putin and using the folksy stuff she learned at the hockey rink. It's absurd." WTF!!! She using the hockey mom lingo...what?! He is basically saying that if you are not some big politico then you shouldn't be elected and he comes off sounding so ABSOLUTELY moronic, it is almost amusing! It is here www.superficial.com
site, (the video of it) and believe me, he sounds 100 times worse when it is heard than just read. He says something about wanting to know if she thinks dinosaurs were around 4,000 years ago or something. I believe he was attempting to say that he wanted to know if she believed in evolution but it comes across as...basically stupid. I don't care what political affiliation you are, if you are a celebrity--SHUT UP!!! No one cares!!! And apparently the guy who played Robert on Everybody Loves Raymond has said if they are elected he is moving to Canada. Well get on the bus asshole!! How many of these idiots have said that and are still here? All them! They don't want to live in Canada or anywhere else because they have it good here and they know it. Just my two cents:0

Ok, Everything Back to normal...Almost!

So we got power back on Friday evening, thank God b/c it was miserable yesterday! High was in the mid 90s! As you could tell by the previous post, I was a bit aggravated! I had gone to Lafayette with the kids, mainly b/c there wasn't much I could do here! We had no damage, just debris in the yard, I was sick and the kids were going stir crazy! We had no indication when the power was going to come back on, they kept giving us a REALLY long estimate and I couldn't get cell service to save my life!!! Forget calls coming or going! It would go straight to voicemail and I couldn't access my voicemail because I couldn't call my own number much less anyone else's! I could only text and even that took about 4 times before it would go through! So needless to say, I was a bit frustrated and the kids were driving me crazy if y'all can believe that!

So this weekend was fairly normal except 50% of the city STILL doesn't have power! We had an abbreviated mass yesterday b/c the church had no power, which apparently, many of the churches still didn't have it! We don't know when the kids are going back to school b/c there is still no power! The Catholic schools are meeting today to decide what to do. The public schools are out until next Monday. What sucks is that we have to make it all up!!! It sucks:( Claire is actually at an age where she enjoys school (although she hasn't asked about it!) and this would happen right now! And here comes Ike!!! I am seriously praying that he goes to Texas! Sorry Comeaux family! I can't handle another storm!!

New Orleans is Safe...Whoop Dee Doo!!!

I hope my level of sarcasm is evident because that is all the national media seems to have gotten from the f'ing storm. How about this-the majority of Southern Louisiana doesn't have power. This is the worst storm East Baton Rouge Parish has had at least since Betsy and all the national media has to talk about- how great Sarah Palin's speech was. Well, sorry, I missed that SINCE I HAVEN'T HAD POWER SINCE 10:19AM MONDAY MORNING!!!!!! I don't give a shit about Sarah Palin, John McCain or Barack Obama. I don't care about how sexist the media is being towards Mrs.Palin, how great it was for Beyonce to gain 20 lbs for a movie role...I DON"T HAVE POWER and the it sucks!!! It slammed us hard but it is just wonderful how the levees held isn't it? Whatever. The media is so sensationalistic now, I am not surprised they have moved on. Who wouldn't? It is really not that interesting now, is it?

It is the end of the world...

Ha! Sort of! Well, unlike what you may have learned from the national media, BR got HAMMERED by this storm!!! We are like way inland, not on the coast, and got completely pummeled by this storm. 100 mph winds, INSANITY! My in-laws house, which weathered Katrina just fine, had 6 trees down in their yard!! Several bounced off the house, one landed on it. Needless to say they will have some major reconstuction to deal with. We were very luckly, however, NO power!!! And they say 1/2 the city will be out of power for 3-4 WEEKS!!! We are out of school till Monday and I went to Lafayette, which if you know South LA, you know that is amusing b/c they are closer that we are to the gulf but have power! Anyway, just wanted to update y'all and let y'all know it is real bad down here but we are all ok!

Peace.
A

It is now raining:)

Craziness...

Well, here we go again! I say that but unlike my sister and brother-in-law, I didn't have to go anywhere! THe hurricane is heading our way, and we are on the eastern side of it which is BAD!! We are off at least thru Wednesday, maybe longer if we don't have power. It is funny because I have lived here my whole life, and the threat of hurricanes is constant! Andrew hit when I was a senior and other than Katrina and Rita, there were no other storms in my lifetime that were this bad. They always looked like they were coming this way but shifted and went to Florida or Texas. Katrina was the first one to do any real damage since Andrew and it was BAD! I have grown up going to New Orleans several times a year, if not once a month. My husband and his siblings basically grew up there. To go to this city, 6 months later and see homes that were once in well off neighborhoods, literally moved into the middle of the street by the flooding and still there, in the middle of the street! House had spray paint on them where emergency workers had gone in, checked for bodies and spray painted zero if no bodies were found. so many traffic lights were still not in operation, just really surreal. And the rest of the country seems to forget about Rita just 6 weeks later. It decimated the southwestern part of the state, really. Even the local news turned a blind eye to it. I did not realize the extent of the damage until I passed through it a year later and it was just coming back. Now another bad one! In my first 31 years, 1 major hurricane in the 3 years since 3 major ones!! What is going on!!

Anyway we are patiently waiting to see what to expect, hopefully more good news than bad. It is weird because we have been experiencing the media onslaught for so many days that it feels like nothing is happening, that we are getting worked up for nothing! Will give updates in the morning!

Bear's a Big Girl Now!!!

So Bear started big girl school yesterday and had a great time. Her teacher sent a note home saying she had a great day and you ask Bear and she says it was fun, she has a new friend Kourtni she had lunch but she can't remember any specifics! I need to bring a video camera in her book sack, I swear. I will upload more pics later, but here is one at home. She was SUPER excited...and now has to go to little girl school for a day before she goes back! And I did not cry!!! I was so proud od myself!

A

Go right now and rent P.S. I love You!!!! Just do it!!! AND YOU WILL CRY!!!!!!!! So go get the klenexx NOW!!!

Ruminations...

So I am bad about keeping up with this, partly b/c I usually can't get on the computer without someone yelling about playing pbskids.org or noggin.com (that is exactly what she says, not noggin or pbs kids!) and partly b/c I just am not sure anyone is all that interested in the hum drum existence of our lives!

So I guess I will just ramble. Bear and Pixie finished swim lessons and did awesome. I just wish we could afford to put Bear in craw biters in August. That is a year round swim class for the little ones. I think she would do awesome in it, but unless we sell the house, it won't be possible to do it right now so maybe next year.

On to the job drama. So one of the first year teachers went to administration last year when she found out my co-worker was leaving. SHE CAME TO THEM!!! She wanted to work in the library. She had one class left for her certification (but not her masters), blah blah blah. She quit Thursday! Thursday of last week when we are suppose to start THIS Thursday. Luckily, we found 2 highly qualified people who we interviewed yesterday and were able to choose one of them. She is my age with a 9 year old son and seems very nice.

So today I went to the store (unfortunately I have neither the money nor the calories to purchase beer, but man do I want some! Just finished baking 2 batches of brownies for a function at Bear's school tomorrow. She starts Monday, OMG a school age child!

Anyway, I am trying to watch a movie before the kiddos wake up from their nap.

A

Wrap Up

I can't believe the summer is in the last third of being over! I go back to work in 3 weeks and bear starts Pre-K the Monday after that. We also had a good time at the wedding, the kids especially enjoyed the reception. Well, I say the kids, Pixie was having one meltdown after the other! But on the whole the dancing, cake and doughnuts proved to be their favorite parts. That and my "beautiful green dress", Tia's (Bear speaking) "big beautiful hair, ("Mama, I never have seen Tia's hair so big and beautiful") and the Mouse dress!

On a different note, Jerry is not allowed to pick the hotel we stay in anymore. I am a bit of a ding dong, and you know, trust that the hotel staff won't rifle through my stuff but in fact, when we went to eat breakfast (since that was the only time I left my purse in the room unattended) they stole my 2 debit cards and my Exxon card. When I got home, there was a charge from McDonald's for $30! Never in my life have I spent that much at Mcdonald's unless it was like for more than 5 people. Not to mention that fact that the only time I went to Mickey D's that week was with Ma Mere and Paw Paw on the way up and Paw Paw was generous enough to pay for it! THen yesterday, I was looking to see if a check had cleared in my separate account and there was a $75 charge at a Sunco station. So I had to dispute all this junk and hopefully will get my money back. Why does all this weird ass stuff happen to me!

So tomorrow it is off to Milwaukee at 6am for Jerry's conference. I am worried about the eating thing but am going to try and relax since I don't have much longer left for that. I am actually going to be in charge and have someone to supervise! I have never had to do this before so it should be interesting!

And I would upload pics of the kids, alas I have no camera! I really hate being broke!

Time For Some Campaignin'

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

Ah, The Things Kids Say....

Your life is complete after your 4 year old (who just was told she did a good job cleaning up, not a great job like her sister) tells you "You don't love me anymore! You don't love me like you used to!" Ah, kids!

Little Late with the Pics...

So we have no digital camera due to the fact that some little hands got hold of ours one too many times and dropsys occurred so I had to wait until I sent pics to snapfish to get developed from my film camera( notice I said I had to wait until I sent the film! I am lazy, sue me!) Anyway, here is a pic of my 3year old and the Tinkerbell cake I made. It isn't perfect, but she loved it and being that I only do this like twice a year, I thought it turned out pretty nice!

So I suck!

Ok, it has been like a month with no updates. I have been super busy and am kind of tired so I will make it quick. School was over on May 22. I am the head librarian next year. I got my test for my certification results back...finally! They said it would take 4 weeks and I got it the day before it would have been 5! I know it was only a week but when I signed up for the test I did not know the head librarian wasn't coming back and it was just another stressor. But it is over now and I am good for 5 years!

I took a week long class last week that basically was like taking a semester class in a week, VERY taxing and intense. It was for Media services for young adolescents, middle school, which is a bit out of my relam but it was interesting and has shifted what I think my focus needs to be for next year. I have so many ideas and I'm not sure if any of them will work. I think I'm just going to concentrate on surviving next year!

Anyway, Bear is done with dancing for the year and Pixie is basically potty trained, wearing panties most of the time thank God! I know have to come up with some fun stuff that doesn't cost anything to do with the kids!

Tired gotta go!

BLAH!!!

Lord, I AM TIRED! 4 more days of school, and luckily they are exam days which means goin home at noon baby...and studying for my class/workshop next week! I will be officialy jobless for the summer May 31st so I will be looking forward to sleeping till 7 am, that is mostly what I will be looking forward to! I also need to find some cool, FREE things to do with the kids this summer so I guess I will be all over brec and some mom sites to see what is going on! We are so broke and we have two trips to go on this summer, God help me, I am not sure how we will pay for it.

SO quick update, Pixie's party was a success. I went overboard as usual, spent way too much but the kids had fun! Have not gotten my scores back yet for the certification test. Have another week to wait on that. Dam! Kiddos just woke up from their nap and are fighting, gotta go! Oh, and I have no pics of the birthday girl due to the fact that our digital is caput! Will put some up when I send my film to snapfish!

Peace out!

Quick Update...

Ok, I haven't blogged at all this month!!! Sorry, not much time but a quick update. Girls and I were sick last week, the girls at the beginning, me at the end of the week. Felt like shit Friday and Saturday, but luckily recovered enough to somewhat clean up my house yesterday!! Feeling pretty good today.

STRESSING big time about this certification test I have to take this weekend. It f*&^ing sucks b/c they like expect that your are taking it right out of library school. I'm not and some of the questions are a pain in the ass. I just need a 560 to pass so PRAY FOR ME SWEET GOD PLEASE. I don't know why I am so worried about it b/c I only wanted it so I could maybe run the library but that someday has turned into next year as my co-worker has given her notice!! Did I mention I was stressing a bit.

Only 5 weeks left of school!!!!!!!!!! Woo Hoo! I have to go to bed now so I might function in the morning!!

Oh, and we have a cusser!! Dad watched the girls while I went with Mom to the New Students meeting for Sacred Heart. He said something about their freaking shoes and Pixie corrected him, " No Bampa (she won't say the g for somereason) it is f*&*ing! Great. I swear that is Jerry, not me although I really like that word:)

Tootles!

Doodle and Bear...Too Cute!!!

Doodle spent the night last night and the girls (mainly Doodle and Bear!) had a blast. THey now have someone who likes to dress up as much as they do! Pixie is not quite up to their level yet! ANyway, they started sleeping in the tent we had in Bear and Pixie's room, but when Jerry went to check on them 30 minutes later (it took 30 minutes for them to stop giggling!) They had migrated to the bed! I had to take a pic, it was so cute!

Another Week...

Well, I am trying to update at least once a week so here goes. We had a good weekend, St. Patty's Day parade yesterday, party for my friend, Caroline's little girl and then dinner with friends. Didn't get home til close to 11 and still had stuff to do for today, the Graves' Easter since both Jerry and I and Bobbles and Tia are going to our other family's house. I was exhausted when we got home so I rested with the kids and then did what I have been meaning to do for 3 weeks, chunk some stuff from their rooms. Bear is OBSESSED with Barbies, whether they be the Princess barbies or actual Barbies. Our neighbors daughter had outgrown hers so gave the girls a bunch of hers but that combined with the ones she keeps getting were just too much! Got rid of about half of those plus a plethora of stuffed animals before the onslaught from my parents with Easter and Pixie's birthday. I am sure by June I will have to do this again. SO I did that and while picking up looked under the couches. OMG, YUCK!!! Dust all over the place, so I proceeded to spend the next several hours vacuuming and mopping the hard floors. Gonna have to do it anyway for Pixie's party!

So this leads to some goals I am setting for myself. I get so overwhelmed with everything that I don't have time for anything! So here goes:

1. I am going to start Flylady again. I still get the emails, I just delete them b/c I don't have time to look at them but I only half assed did it before. I need to do something b/c typically I try and do it all at once and nothing gets done well so we will see.

2. Go through clutter in the house every 3 months and get rid of it (i.e. garage sale, charity). We have so much stuff we don't need. I have already started this and the garage is getting packed so I think I will have to have one soon! Maybe next week when I am off!

3. Scrapbook at least 2 pages per week per child. I felt like such a shit mom. I have TONS of pics of the girls but nothing to show them. The girl I work with said for each of her kids, when growing up, they would look through their albums on their birthday. Have to get going!

4. Start gardening. I thought this would be a fun thing to do with the kids. I have a black thumb so we will see!

5. Geaux green:) I am really trying, I keep a bag in the kitchen for recyclables and if it has the symbol, it goes in.

6. Learn more about my video/digital/film camera. I want to take better pics of the kids. I see everyone with these awesome pics but I can't seem to mimic them. I will try harder:)

Anyway, that is just the small list! I will add on as needed! Love to all! A

Weekend

So it is official. Bear will go to school at Sacred Heart. I was so psyched when I got the letter and then she didn't get into to Aloysius but it was all about the fact that we weren't parishoners. I was already wondering what I would say to her if she went to Aloysius anyway. She had gone to visitation at Sacred Heart. It was hard to explain to a 4 year old that she MIGHT go to school here. So we have a new parent supper in April where we get to meet the pre-K staff and get all the info. I am really excited. It is such a good school!

Anyway, I am super psyched about my raise, Jerry is doing well at work so hopefully 2008 will be good for us! The pennington thing is killing me sometimes. One day I will do excellent and then the next I want to eat everything under the sun! I do particularly bad at parties. It is like I just can't help myself! Anyway, have lost around 16 pounds so I feel good except when I eat like crap. I can usually start eating better the next day. Try not to let it frustrate me. I do get tired of not just eating what I want sometimes! For some reason, I really want fried fish right now and God help me with the drinking. I don't necesarily want it, but if I have one glass it just snowballs. Is it wrong to want to drink so much!:)

Anyway, have a great week everyone and I will expect double posts from Mouse this week. How is it that you don't have kids, yet you post less than everyone and get on me for my lack of posts:)!!! Life is not good if one cannot mess with the mouse every once in awhile!

Woo Hoo!!!

Week is almost over and Bear got into Pre-K!!!! Woo Hoo! Oh, and I am getting a raise next year AND I might be head librarian b/c my co-worker may be moving to Chicago! Abbreviated version...will write more later!!!

I've Been Meme'd!!!

I have been accused of slacking by mouse (I am sticking out my tongue at you!) and have been instructed to do this. It will probably be boring b/c I mainly post about my kids! Plus I am boring and don't know that many bloggers! If this doesn't make sense I have been up since 7 am church going, park hopping, cleaning, cooking and Easter egg making! It is 9pm Central time and I am pooped! And I don't think I understand this fully b/c I am old...and tired. There is a good reason moi has been slacking of late...NO TIME!!! Here goes!

It’s the "My Post" Meme!

**The Rules**

1. Post about the meme and link back to the person who tagged you.

2. Go back through your archives and link to your five favorite posts.

*Link One: must be about family.
*Link Two: must be about friends
*Link Three: must be about yourself
*Link Four: must be about something you love
*Link Five: can be anything you choose.

Tag 5 other people (2 being people you would like to get to know better)

One: My Family

Ok, I basically just write about my kids so I'll give you this one and this one.

Two: My Friends:

I apparently talk about my kids and just bitch about things b/c I can't find one of these! Working on it. This is the best I can do!

Three: Myself

Ok, this shows how aggravated I can get with stupidity. Sorry, I got nothing! It's not really about me but one aspect of my personality. It makes me laugh when I read it. YES, I am a big dork!

Four: Something I love

How is this and this!

Five: Anything

This says it all, no!

This took me an hour! I have a headache and can't think so I will tag 5 people tomorrow! Love y'all!

Surprising...

Ok, I'm going to say it. I'm a closet Obama supporter. My husband will most likely flip out, but I like him, I like his message and I LOVE that he has not made this about race but about change. I am attempting to read his first book right now and want to get his second one. Kind of bummed right now b/c I am a registered independant so I can't vote in the primary tomorrow which is a load of shit if you ask me, but whatever. He reminds me a lot of our mayor, Kip Holden who also leads a citizen and not a black citizen. I think to heal the divisions we have in our country, we need someone inexperienced in the ways of Washington, we DON'T need another Clinton in the White House. Does anyone realize that if Hillary is elected, we will have the first co-presidency! Can you seriously see Bill sitting around doing nothing? Don't think so. Bill's ego is too big, he will finagle his way in there! Even my Dad likes Obama, which says A LOT to me! We will see, maybe I will change my mind. Hillary aggravates me with this whole "I have more experience" shit. Last time I checked, she has been a senator since what, 2000 or 2001. He has been there since 2004, not really that big of a difference unless she is touting her run as first lady her experience! There is no way in hell she will be elected. She is way to polarizing. The Democrats should realize that, otherwise McCain will be our next president.

What is My Path?

I know my four-year-old is listening. But I don't always allow it into my consciousness. I don't want to think about her growing up, but I do. Life is full of these contridictions, and it only worsens when you are a parent. Last night, I was lying in the bed with the girls, I was reading a cookbook and they were watching Pochahontas. I was only half listening; it was at the beginning when she is telling her father about her dream, he is talking about the man that has asked for her hand in marriage and then there is a some dialogue about her path. Which one should she take. Her father tells her she must choose her own path. It goes on from there. Now I am only half listening and then Bear looks up at me and asks, "Mama, what will my path be?" I told her that would be for her to decide and she asked if I would help her and I told her of course, both Daddy and I would help her but she would have to choose the path herself. And the whole time I am like, WHOA! Am I really having this discussion with my four year-old!!?? They are so smart and so intutitive, we really don't give them enough credit. She of course then says she thinks she will be able to find it on her own, without our help. We will see, huh?

Aggravation....

OK, so I already don't like registering Bear for school! First dumb ass me forgets to get her immunization record. That's OK, I'll just call the doctor's office to have them fax it to the school! WRONG! Doc's office doesn't fax anything (even though the school would take said fax). So I go down there because GOD HELP ME IF I CAN ACTUALLY TALK TO A LIVE PERSON AT MY CHILD'S PEDIATRICIAN'S OFFICE. I have to leave a f*&%ing message, which apparently all the operator's think is the nurses line since that is the line that they transferred me to, and guess what?!! I GET TO LEAVE A GD MESSAGE, OF WHICH IT TYPICALLY TAKES AN HOUR FOR THEM TO RESPOND!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I leave a message and then call and realize there is a line specifically for immunizations record. How would I know that? Being that the operator had sent me to the nurses line. This is the recording that tells me they do not fax anything, but hey I can certainly leave a message and they will have it done in 24-48 hours!!!! Shit!!! Registration is only until 2 this afternoon. They did not call me back after an hour so I call Jerry and tell him I am going over there. It is now 9:30. Registration had started at 7:30. Jerry, running late, had forgotten the paperwork at home AND forgot to leave the car seats so my Dad could pick the kids up b/c I have an appt after school. He goes home, gets the paperwork, gets to the school at 8am...and waits 45 minutes to get the forms to fill out. After an hour of filling out paperwork, he turns it and is told she is on a waiting list! There was only one class (THAT IS WHAT I SAID, 1!) of 18 kids and it is a first come first serve basis so the 18 parents WHO SLEPT OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! last night got their kids in, that they were probably (but not definitely) adding a second class and that she would be in that one but we won't know until March or April. Who in the FUCK sleeps outside to get their kid into pre-k! I mean really people!!! This is a school (granted a good one) in EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH!!! Not exactly known for its academic excellence, and it is PRE-K, not freaking Harvard!!! SO in the meantime, I go to the doc's office b/c I have gone and gotten a shot card from them before without calling or filling anything out. She says I'll probably get it today but they tell us...blah blah blah! OK, now I am hearing Charlie's Brown's teacher in my head b/c I am pissed at myself and how stupid the doctor's office is! She sees my frustration (I am about to cry at this point, and this is before knowing that Bear is on the waiting list!) and says it will probably be ready within the hour, they'll call me when it is ready...blah blah blah. I have heard nothing by 11:30. The operator basically tells me all she can do is transfer me she can't page anyone, WHATEVER!!! The place is not that big get somebody on the phone, bitch! (FYI, I did not call her a bitch but I let her know of my happiness and the fact that it takes FOREVER for anyone to call me back, yeah she just transfers me! I hate her!) She, too, directs me to the nurse's line so I leave them a message letting out my frustrations, leave one on the immunization line and then another one b/c in venting my hatred of them on the line (total embellishment of course!) I forgot to leave my number. So Jerry is in the area, goes in, and voila, they have it ready. They knew evil messages 3 and 4 were on their way! HeHeHe!

So I have finally gone through all this shit just to have her on a waiting list! I will be going to the first private school next week! Fun Times:)

Blah...

It's Monday, which by itself sucks. Jerry is registering Bear for Pre-K today which makes me happy and sad because she is growing up so fast. It has almost been 5 years since I found out I was pregnant with the little bugger and now she is going to big girl school, as she calls it. I can tell it is time b/c everyday she asks, "Mama, am I going to big girl school today?" I don't want her to go to big girl school cause then she will never want to come home cause I such a horrible parent!!:) Ok, I'm not horrible but I feel like when I am at home all I do is cook and clean and yell at them to stop hitting each other and yell at them to clean there room (which, is it just my kids? but it takes about an hour for them to clean up and I have to yell at them the whole time!) I just feel like I don't do anything with them b/c a) I don't have time, b) we have no money to go anywhere and c) I am exhausted most of the time!

And then the whole school thing! So we are registering her at the public school in our neighborhood which is almost free. If we aren't eligible for the free lunch program we have to pay a monthly fee (which has to be cheaper than what we pay in tutition now!) but J seems to think that we may need to keep her there and put her in middle school at a private school. I said no b/c most of the kids at the private school she will go to will have been there since kindergarden and I think it would be difficult for her to make new friends when the groups are already established. If the middle schools are that bad, what makes the elementary ones any better? Should I keep her in pulic until middle school? Other people have told me they were not happy when their parents did that but I am at not sure what to do. I don't know anything about public school! I went to a private one. And then she would have to go to CCD which she wouldn't if she went to a private school. Now the school we are registering her for is a blue ribbon school so it is not the terrible schools that are in the rest of the parish but what if we move? This district is only for this neighborhood! And then she'll get stuck in another school that is crappy! And what if she doesn't test into the gifted program! I don't know what to do!

Stuff...

2007 Year in Review
1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?


Nothing that I can remember...but that is really asking a lot of me right now! I can barely remember what happened yesterday much less last year!


2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, & will you make more for next year?

Didn't make any, so if I made some for 2009 I think it will be to be a better parent. I pretty much think I suck at it!



3. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
Money! No debt.



4. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
None come to mind.



5. Did you suffer illness or injury?Other than having the WORST case EVER of strep throat! I had to force myself to eat and anyone who knows me knows I must have been really sick!



6. What do you wish you’d done more of / less of?

More learning in general/ Less worrying



7. What was your favorite TV program?

What the hell is tv again? When I get a chance CSI and Special Victims Unit; I also like Biggest Loser and... crap can't remember the name but it is something like Women's Murder Club(?) that doesn't sound right-Angie Harmon and some other chicks i don't know but who look vaguely familiar and all work in some form of law enforcement (ok one is a crime reporter but the rest have some sort of legal/police/medical job dealing with the criminal justice system!) Of course, I should only watch these myself which as we all know, is virtually impossible! BONES IS AWESOME!!!


9. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Don't really hate as much as next time I see a news story on these people I may take my own life : Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Lindsey Lohan, et al.

10. What was the best book you read?

I think I read 2 books and the names escape me but they were good and it was Evanovich's lastest Plum Mystery and Reich's latest Brennan book---ohhh, just remembered a tv show!



11. What was your greatest musical discovery?

I don't really buy cds anymore...I am such an adult!!!



12. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?

Don't have one.



13. What kept you sane?

Sleep!



14. Who did you miss?

My grandmothers



15. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

As is indicitive of my life, I got nothing!(That's not a lyric, I really can't think of anything!)

Sorry ok...

Sorry no posts of late. Been pretty tired, going back to work after having two weeks off and sleeping until 7(yes. I said 7 and that is 7am!) and now having to get up before 6am is caustic to my system.

So the Pennington thing is going well. I have lost a bit more than 14 pounds and if one more person tells me I am too skinny or I need to gain weight I am going to head butt them! I am sorry it is a 2 year program! If I go to far under they make me eat more and it is not like eating too little is my problem! Christmas break was torture and I did horrible! I have just come to the conclusion that I need to be able to eat/drink whatever the hell I want during Christmas b/c I am going to do it anyway! I did bad and felt like I was going to get in trouble with my dietitian but I still ate whatever the hell I wanted!

About to start applying for different schools for Bear. I can't believe she is going to be in Pre-K in just a few months! We are applying to 3 schools, two Catholic schools and 1 public one. The public one is in our neighborhood and is a blue ribbon school so I have no qualms about sending her to it. The only problem is we are mostly likely going to try and sell the house again, this time FSBO and if we move out of the neighborhood, we aren't in that district anymore. The Pre-K program as a whole in our parish is actually quite good. The program was actually if not in the #1 spot, at least in the top 5 of the best Pre-K programs, in the country!! I know, everyone gasp now! An education curriculum in Louisiana is actually not just good, but excellent!!! We would put her in one of the Catholic schools for K-8 though. It is really going to depend on our money situation, quite frankly.

I think that is all for now!