Today I brought home a surprise. Truthfully it wasn't a surprise since everyone knew I planned to buy one. I just didn't plan to even look to see if any were in stock anywhere until this weekend. So bringing it home to day was the surprise. I brought it home and set it up and now my arms hurt. P was really happy to come home from school and see what I brought home. E is just standing around thinking we are all idiots. That or she is seeing a live version of The Upside Down Show. So what did I bring home?









P is having the time of his life. My arms still hurt.


On another note, today E had her last immunization until age 4. YAY! I did not expect to find out that she has an ear infection. The doctor seems to think that E's night time cough until she throws up routine my be asthma related. He does agree with me that she is probably suffering from a mold allergy. He also agrees that the neighbor's burning is not helping her at all and that is probably why her allergies have lasted almost 2 months straight this time. Normally they hit for a week or 2, go away until it rains again (usually a week or 2 later) and then hit for another week or 2 until summer hits. I have no idea what if anything I can do to stop the burning except be one of those neighbors everyone hates. I guess I have to do it though. Maybe it won't get ugly seeing as how we are stuck with each other.

Happy Birthday E

On Saturday, E turned 2.

What happened to my 8 pound 12 ounce little bundle of joy? This is the exact minute she realized she was stuck with us.
When did she get so big?




Why does her nose have to run so much? Yuck.

Spring?

Today felt so much like spring that I was able to bring the kids out of hibernation.


For some reason I get tons of pictures of P with that face.




They had lots of fun playing on the swing. Despite its sorry, old, rusted, falling apart condition. I planned to replace it last year, but it hardly ever got used so I ignored it. Now E runs to it as soon as she gets out the front door. With E playing on it, P plays on it more too. I really didn't want another metal one to sit and rust and I didn't expect to be able to afford a wooden one but last night I found 2 with a price I can handle.


I just can't decide between the 2. There is a $150 difference between them. (the right one is more expensive) There are very few differences. In the right one, the picnic table is outside the tower, it has a sandbox under the tower and it has a glider. The left set has the picnic table under the tower, no sandbox and a trapeze bar. I won't ever put sand in it, so I am ignoring the sand box feature. I just can't decide. But I have decided where it will go in the yard.


Looks like a perfect spot to me.

Comments are not working....again

For some reason comments aren't working for the embedded comments again. I am not the only one either. If you just really need to know how many times today my children threw up, you can contact me through the link up top.

Until then I just have to wait until Blogger notices there is a problem. As of right now it isn't listed as a known issue. I tried to email them but that link to email them is a link to the forums. The forums are no help. NEVER have they even been able to answer any of my questions.

Maybe things are getting better

Last night I got our taxes done and e-filed! YAY! I can't wait to get the refund. It is more than I expected so I am really excited. If nothing happens between now and then, and let's face it, my luck has been rotten lately, my refund should be ready to spend next week.

So right away, I am getting my washer fixed or a brand new one. Then I am making JB immediately buy the parts for his truck and work on getting it fix. Rain or shine. If it means I stand outside holding an umbrella he is getting it fixed.

On another note, it didn't take a 2x4 to get JB to see the light on buying a new car. He has finally agreed that we NEED one. So now I get to start my search. I promise I am not going to be picky. I would love a mini van (Good lord did I just say that?) but it is not a must. I only have 3 requirements that are deal breakers.

1. It MUST be 4 doors. I don't know if any of you have ever had the pleasure of having a full sized car with 2 doors and having to climb in and out of the backseat every single time to hook or unhook a child in and out of the car seat. I HATE it. It kills my back. I have done it since day one of having kids. So I am just not going to do it ever again.

2. It can not be bigger than the car I already drive unless it is a mini van. Note to JB: that means NO Lincoln town cars. NO NO NO NO. Stop telling me about the one you see for sale down the road every day.

3. Everything must work. PERIOD!

On another note I have a car that will be for sale very soon. Very cheap.
1.Very nature friendly.
2.Redecorated interior.
3.Natural water based air freshener
4.perfect for stake outs or stalkings
5.promotes healthy eating lifestyle by saving you money on fast food
6.motivates you to exercise more to loose weight
7.naturally cooled by the environment
8.and it releases no harmful chemicals and instead uses naturally occurring conditions to clean the windshield.
9.almost runs on water


In other words:
1.it didn't kill the deer that ran into it
2.dirt from living on a dirt road and forgetting the window was down overnight a bunch of times and from when the neighbor cleared his land and the dirt got in anyways
3.mold
4.the interior lights don't come on to give you away
5.the window will roll down but then you have to work really hard to get it back up so you won't want to go through a drive thru
6.the driver side door only opens halfway so you have to squeeze in and out
7.the air compressor leaks so no air conditioning
8.the washer fluid tank is busted so there is no wiper fluid to clean your windows
9.the water pump busted so you have to give a gallon of water every 5 minutes

I was tagged

Amy from 1 Girl + 4 Boys = Paradise has tagged me.

I need to post 8 random facts about me.

1. I don't like mucous. It gags me. Hearing people clear their sinuses or spitting out gunk has me running for a trashcan. Thinking about it can even make me throw up. I almost did right now typing gunk. Is it any wonder why when I get sick, like today, that I almost throw up every few minutes?

2. I was once addicted to an online children's game called Toontown. My screen name was Lady Poodlemonkey.

3. I haven't been to work all week. Too tired, too sick. Don't worry, I make my own schedule and go in when I want.

4. I spend too much time on the computer.

5. I don't like to go to the doctor. I put it off. I just hate having to sit in the waiting room with people hacking up mucous while I am trying very hard not to produce any of my own. I can (and probably did last August) fall and break my kneecap and I still won't go.

6. I once threatened a ER doctor. The little red headed doogie wanna be. I bet to this day he never ever tells a parent that when their child is on the ground rolling in pain with their mouth and throat covered in blisters and is crying for water but can't swallow it without screaming is only throwing a tantrum and they don't treat tantrums. We never got a bill for that visit.

7. I would rather sit and read a book than watch tv.

8. I hate wearing shoes. Don't get me wrong they are cute and I want them. I just hate wearing them. I wait until the last minute to put them on. And as soon as I do I count the minutes until I can take them off again.

Now for the rules and my turn to tag:

1. Each blogger starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged and to read your blog.
5. For the recipients, leave a comment for the person who tagged you, so they can go and read your answers.

Now on to who is getting tagged:

Actually E just escaped so I will tag people later

What's next?

Should I even ask if it can get any worse than it already has? Now the water pump in the car went out.

Something is breaking on every vehicle we own. We can't drive the truck because the heat doesn't work and the windows can't be defrosted. And if it rains there are no wipers. If it is too hot there is no air and you can't roll down the windows.

So we have had to take turns driving the car. The car was not fun because it has had a water leak for years. So there is mold. The water took out the interior lighting system. Then it sat for 2 years with a broken linkage cable that is no longer in production. That is until my 8 month pregnant rear got a craving for pizza and I ended up figuring out a way to make a c clamp work. So the car was a point a to point b car for the past 2 years. Now the air doesn't work in it, the window won't roll back up, the arm that turns the blinker on and turns your lights on bright broke off, a deer ran into the side of it when it lost the game of chicken, the door only opens halfway because of the deer, you cant make a sharp turn to the left without a lot of grinding noise and the possibility of popping the tire because of the deer, and now the water pump broke. We knew it was going to, we were starting to loose the heat and the car was starting to overheat. Do you think that any of those problems would convince JB that it was time, not just a frivolous want, to get a new car? Of course not. Do you think now that even the smallest repair will cost more than the car is worth will convince him? No. How about now we have no family vehicle, we have 2 kids, and we can't be stuck at home? He still is balking at the idea of a new car. Nothing short of a 2x4 is going to make him see the light.

How much do you want to bet it won't pass emissions this Friday? And we have to buy the tag by Saturday.

It got worse

My washing machine is dead. Completely. I think in my last post I said it was 3 years old. Well, it was closer to 4, as if that makes me feel any better. Now the washer is completely dead. It won't come on at all. I am 99.9% certain that I know what is wrong, but I will have to get a repair guy out confirm that before I do anything. I think the motor needs to be replaced. That is expensive. Half the cost of a washer if I order the part and put it in myself. And since I don't really know what I am doing it is better if I don't. By the time I pay for someone to do a service call, parts, and labor, I will have bought a whole new washer. I am so irritated right now. And we can't spend the money on that right now so I will be without a washer indefinitely. Until my tax refund comes actually and I don't even have the w2's yet. Sot it will be weeks at least.

Meanwhile, I will be over at the Bustinsuds with a mound of laundry. And it is 45 minutes away. All laundromats are 45 minutes away from me. Just another problem with living in the boonies. That means doing laundry will take hours. I love my life. I really do.

Unless anyone wants to give me a new washing machine. Maytag? It was your machine that broke after all.

Kenmore?

Whirlpool?

I am open to all brands at this point.

And while we are at it, the money I would have spent on buying myself a Kitchenaid stand mixer will have to be spent on my washing machine, so I will take donations of stand mixers too.

Somehow I doubt anyone with any of those companies reads my blog.

Washer Woes

I am not happy right now. At all. Our washer that is only about 3 years old just started to make some awful noises. Metal grinding on metal noises. And the agitator thingy wasn't doing so well. It was slow and seemed to be struggling. With a large load. Full of cold water. It is snowing at my house right now, so you know cold water means freezing. And guess what? The only way to drain my washer is if it is on the spin cycle. I can't turn the spin cycle on because then the metal grinding noises start up. So what's a girl to do? Wring out all of those clothes and bail out the washer. I am soaked. Now I am looking up diagrams and issues to see if I can find someone who has the same problem as me. I tell you this happens to me EVERY year. I make plans for my tax money and something big breaks. EVERY. STINKIN'. YEAR.

If this isn't something easy or cheap to fix I'm gonna cry. Then scream. Then figure out how to entertain a 2 year old at the laundry mat on a 2-3 times a week basis.

I *heart* faces entry

This is my entry for www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com week 2's kid category.

E on May 10, 2007 at 3 1/2 months old.

I would love to see your entry so head on over to I ♥ Faces and submit your own.

Toot Toot

E will be 2 in less than 2 weeks. We haven't gotten her potty trained yet. I have to admit that I haven't tried very hard yet because she didn't seem ready. I bought her a potty months ago in preparation. After the "new" wore off she didn't want anything to do with it. I don't like it myself. It is wide, bulky, and E has trouble sitting on it the right way. She doesn't want anything to do with it except as a step stool. So I started using a potty seat and taking her to the bathroom and sitting her on it every once in a while. This week she has started to ask to go potty. She points to the bathroom and says pee pee. Of course she doesn't go, she just wants to play, maybe read a book, and climb up and down just because she can. Last night she surprised me. Normally her sentences are no more than 2 words. (I'm stuck or Help me) But last night she yelled at me and grabbed her diaper and said "I got to go pee pee". I think it was at least 30 seconds before the words sunk in. She said it perfectly clear. Even people with no kids could have understood that. So after I recovered my senses I took her to the bathroom and she sat and sat and sat. Never pottied. Right as I gave up and determined this trip to be a bust, she grabbed the handles of the potty seat, pulled her legs up, scrunched her face and yelled "ewwwwwwww! I tooted." Well at least its a start...... I guess.


*for those with no clue, a toot is a fart.

About Friday Flashback

Friday Flashback Meme

I came across an old toy of mine in my parents attic from my childhood. It brought back memory after memory of growing up in the 80's. The toys, the foods, the music, the styles.

I thought it would be fun to post about some of my favorite memories or toys, places or even foods. Then I thought it would be more fun if we could all share with each other. So I created my very first meme.

Think back to your childhood. What stands out to you? Was there a toy that you have fond memories of? A favorite game? A place your family vacationed? Whatever comes to your mind.

Answer it in any way you choose. Post a picture, tell us about it or do both. It is up to you.

In your post you must include the button and a link to the meme post inviting others to join in. Once your post is done, sign the Mr. Linky leaving the link to your actual post. NO LINKS TO YOUR HOMEPAGE. Only links to the actual friday flashback post will be accepted.

Please leave me a comment and try to visit some of the other blogs participating and leave them some comments too. Everyone loves comments.

7 minutes

Today my house is a mess. E has dumped her toy box in her doorway and I have a line of toys spilling out into the living room. She has also turned my living room into Little People Kingdom. This kingdom has no order whatsoever. School buses are apparently allowed to drive through the zoo. The castle doors must remain open and they stable the horses on the roof. The school children are running amok and the teacher has no control. The cat is in the bathtub. No one is answering the phone. The baby bed was turned into the swimming pool. The pet salon was hit by a minivan driven by a zebra in an apparent case of rage when the hairdryer went on the brink. The princess ran away with the baby and no one can find them. Then the ponies from the neighboring community known as my little pony ville crashed the party with cries of "you can't catch me" right before the sit n spin cyclone ran straight through the middle of town.

I tell you there is not one inch of carpet to be found. I need a shovel to get through it all.

It took 7 minutes. 7 short little minutes.

That will teach me to try to take a shower.

I am taking bets...

I thought by now I would be back in my normal routine. I didn't count on an entire night of no sleep, E's allergies turning into a sinus infection or having to clean up vomit 2 more times this week. For those keeping count that is 5 times since Christmas Eve. I am thinking of starting a vomit counter. Then I am going to start a hair dryer counter and see which one wins. (I will be taking bets shortly) I broke another one. Since October I have bought 4. One was plugged in during a storm and quit working, another got dropped and quit, another got a teeny tiny lego shoved in it and the lego got stuck in the fan or something. So I bought a new one 2 weeks ago. Today while drying my hair it just stopped. As soon as I touched the button it came back on, but stopped when I moved my finger. Some sort of short in the button wires or something. I had to hold the button in to dry my hair. I got a finger cramp.

Slowing Down...

Things are finally starting to get back to normal. YAY! P is finally back on his bedtime routine so the house is quiet right now. Actually E is singing and screaming along to Blues Clues but trust me, in my house that is quiet. In fact if a freight train did donuts in my front yard it would still be quieter than when P is awake.

Soon I will have the time to actually visit other blogs and reciprocate some comments and followings. I should also get caught up on my entrecard drops too.

Happy New Year

Hello out there! I hope everyone had a wonderful New Years. I stayed home and stayed up way too late doing absolutely nothing. I even got to see fireworks from the warmth and comfort of my own home thanks to the neighbors. My resolution for this year is to not make a resolution. I already know that I won't follow through. I am just so glad to be starting a new year and having all the holiday stuff over with. Now it is time to do taxes and spend some money. I already have my shopping list. Hurry up W2's Ikea is calling my name. So is Nintendo and KitchenAid. This year I am determined to get my stand mixer I have put off buying and we might buy a Wii. Might. I am not sure yet. I know I want one, I just don't know if now is the time. I couldn't buy one and not let P play with it and right now he gets so into the games that he doesn't pay any attention to what is going on around him. E has to be right under you, so I can see the problems that combination would cause. Guaranteed black eye within the first hour of playing. Or a bloody nose. Or a busted lip. Or a knot on the forehead. Or a....you get the idea.

At the end of this month E will turn 2. So I have to plan her party. I am going simple again. Same guest list as P's, same place, probably same time. I had to make P's cupcakes since he had a special request, but I plan on buying E's to make it easier on myself. All I really need to do over the next week is get her invitations in the mail and actually remember to go buy the party bags.

JB's birthday is also this month. (same day as E's) So we have to go get the emission inspection done on our cars and go get our tags renewed. Jb also has to renew his drivers license. I hate that both kids have major money drainers right at their birthdays. It always limits what I can afford to do for them.

Sometime this week I will be changing my blog design again. You know the drill. If it looks stupid or doesn't work check back in 5 minutes. It will probably have changed.