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Showing posts from October, 2008

Funny things the kids say part 2

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Backstory- My son has this swollen, infected growth on his leg (yes sounds lovely... believe me it's worse than it sounds) and yesterday before we went to the doctor about it I heard this. To the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell" Sharks are full of blood, Lizards are full of blood Carrots are not full of blood but my bump is full of blood! Frogs are full of blood, Boys are full of blood, Cups are not full of blood but my bump is full of blood. ------ Son: Mom, do you know what potatoes are made of!? Me: Um, what? Son: French Fries! Me: Oh, I think it's the other way around honey. Son: No its not. And these are called Potater tots.

Tagged.

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Have I done this one before? I can't remember but if I have, forgive me. What was I doing 10 years ago?-- that would be. . . 1998 1. Moving to Utah to live with my brother 2. Working as a Hostess in a fun little restaurant that isn't there anymore *sniffles* 3. Trying to graduate from High School 4. Saving up my money to go to Italy 5. Meeting my best friend Kazia What are 5 things on my to do list today? 1. Finish a second sketch of a controversial topic to write my essay on (for class) 2. Finish those fingerless gloves I've started crocheting. -finished-- see below 3. Go to grocery store and get a pumpkin. 4. Find out if I have to pick the kids up tommorrow or not. 5. Don't forget to write down that I have a meeting with my teacher on Friday. What are my 5 favorite snacks? (in no particular order) 1. Goldfish crackers 2. Reese's Pieces 3. Oreo's 4. Ravioli's -- I know, not really a snack but I can seriously make them one! 5. Anything I don't have to co

Indie Racing

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I was a young mother working at a hotel in North Phoenix when I was twenty-one. Ralexwin was going to school full time and I was the sole bread-winner in the family. Our daughter was just a little thing, no more than six months old and I had just found out I was pregnant again. No one knew but Ralexwin and me. The hotel was a job I couldn't decide whether I liked or not. It had some nice perks but it was half an hour from home and in a rather rough neighborhood, but those perks were incentive to stay. So, on one cool Phoenix day my boss came to me and explained that there was an Indie racing crew that was going to be staying at the hotel. In exchange for lower room rates they were--among other things--giving us one free ride in a specialized Indie car (specialized meaning it was built with two seats). Whoever wanted to ride could enter their name into a hat and we'd draw to see who got the ride. I shrugged and said, "Sure, sounds fun." Two days later I found out that

Friday Discussion: Do You Sew?

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I'm a bit of a seamstress (I was gonna say sewer but that looks just like sewer--where your potty goes--so I changed it) well, not really but I like to imagine that I am. The truth is my mother-in-law has taught me nearly everything I know. The woman is a pure genius when it comes to a needles, thread and fabric. She makes patterns out of nothing and knows the ins and outs of nearly every fabric. So I've learned a few things, like how to take a shirt I like and use it for a pattern for a new shirt (I'm still working on sleeves). Today I got bored with everything I own, and the fact that I don't fit into any of them, and I decided to make myself a new skirt. It wasn't until half way through that I realized how absolutely cool it was that I can actually say, "Hmm, I don't like anything I own, so I think I'll make something new." And that's just what I did. Can you sew? Have you ever made ANYTHING that you're proud of? I think the thing I'

Pauper Cannwin

Well, today I was issued an EBT card, which, for those who don't know, means that you are now paying for my food. I'm not sure how I feel about this situation. It's one of those inevitables of a husband who can't work and a wife who makes $7.50 an hour, I guess. It just takes a lot of humility to go down to the Social Services office and fill out all of that paper work that says, "Yes, I am dirt poor." And for all of you who might be grumbling about having to feed my children while I have access to the internet... I don't. I just get these random waves that float over my house from the direction of the neighbor's and they just 'happen' to work on my internet connection. I don't have any cable television either, or car payments so you can be comforted in knowing that I have eliminated any frivolities that might have inhibited my ability to feed them myself. And rest assured my tax paying friends, we will only be like this for 3 years and the

On This Day Part 2 (of 2)

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Today is my first born son's birthday. He is one year and two days younger than his sister. He is 6 today. And if I thought my girl was a ball of fire, this one is a volcano of hot magma, constantly erupting. He is a spitfire. When he was a baby his first word was "No!" and he's never stopped saying it. He loves super heroes and dinosaurs and loves to draw monsters. He wakes up every morning at 5AM and has for the last 6 years. He hates baths or water of any sort, but loves to jump into the deep end of a pool when no one is looking. If he is bored he'll just leave the room, regardless of where he is. And for the first few weeks of Kindergarten he spent more time in the hall than he did in class. He is the most wonderful creature that God could have made into a body... when he's in a good mood. He makes us laugh with pure delight and scream in utter frustration. He has what is referred to as a motor-speech delay, which means that the words don't go from his

On This Day Part 1 (of 2)

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Today is my beautiful baby girl's birthday. She turns 7 and I just can't believe it. She is my first born child, the poor creature that has endured her parents learning from her. She is a ball of fire and spirit liable to explode in one direction or the other at a moments notice. Her favorite color changes daily, she is trying to learn to play the piano and she is in her second year of ballet. Her first word was 'Hooray!' and she took her first steps at 9 months. At 3 years old she learned how to write her name and by 4 she had learned how to read. When she started Kindergarten, at almost 6, she was already reading at a second grade level (her poor teacher didn't know what to do with her). She loves to read and has already started quite the collection of books (a family trait). Today she is 7 and is excited that she gets to stay up as late as she wants (family tradition). Tomorrow she will be a wreck, and will likely refuse to do anything I tell her to do. She will

Discussion

When you are submitting work to various publications (ie magazines) they always ask you for a brief bio. I don't know what to put! I feel like I'm so engrossed in my job as mom that sometimes I forget the things that make me who I am. So when someone asks me to describe myself I'm flummoxed. Therefore, a brief bio of me comes out something like this: I love to write, if I could spend all my time doing so I would be content, but I am a mother so most of my time is devoted to diapering and driving. I work evenings, and go to college when our budget allows. Blah! A bio is supposed to be catchy, something that grabs the readers attention, makes you stick out and be remembered. It's a resume of sorts and I suck at them! Help!? What would you put on your bio? What should I put on mine?

Huskies and Horses

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On Saturday they had the university's homecoming parade that we had the pleasure of attending. We went with some of our friends and met up with some people from church. It was an all around nice time with lots of candy and political stickers*. But the best part wasn't until the very end when the rodeo queens came past.... You see our neighbor just got this dog. It's part Huskie. Well she decided to take the sweet, generally calm, loving pet with her and her daughter to the parade. We all enjoyed watching Star react to the different sights, sounds and smells around her, while my neighbor held onto her leash. Many bands came past that she watched curiously, several dogs were challenged mightily, and a couple of people were sniffed most inappropriately. The candy bags filled, the skies grew gray, and the sidewalks began to empty but we stayed on to watch the high school band (who was last in line). As soon as they passed we heard the distinct sound of horses, CLOP CLOP CLO

Simple Please, Just Be Simple!

Halloween kills me. I know some people (Polly) love this holiday but really, I hate coming up with costumes, and I loathe buying them at the store. Yet, I do. Every year. So why can't the kids come up with something simple like, "Mommy, I want to be a ghost!" *sigh* Wouldn't that be nice. Instead my daughter has these specific creations she just MUST have. Two years ago she wanted to be a 'Warrior Princess.' Complete with bow and arrow and sword and cape and green leaf designed skirt so she could be invisible in the leaves. I'm sure this was brought on by her father's tales of the prince and princess that go about on their valiant steeds and have wild adventures (her and her brother). Last year she insisted on being a 'Sparkle Fairy.' "No, Mom, Sparkle Fairies don't wear white, that's a Snow Fairy. So there I was left trying to sparkle her out. And on Halloween night she looked like a wild collage of orange butterfly shirt, homemad

Caught! Red Handed

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My little boy is such a gem. He's 99.9% of the time a perfect kid, he rarely cries, rarely fights, and often eats everything on his plate (without throwing anything!). BUT when he does decide to be mischievous, the kid goes all out. Take, for instance, the time we were outside cleaning out the garage (this was last week) when I decided it had been awfully quiet inside for a little to long. So, all muddy as I was, I trudged into the house to see what was going on, and what did I discover? Mr. Munchkin Boy had emptied an entire pitcher of juice on the table and was gleefully playing in it (on the table... he was on the table). Now who on earth left the juice on the table is beyond me (I'll blame someone else) but he was covered in red. I chuckled at the metaphor, cleaned up the mess and shuffled him outside to show his dad (who chuckled as well). We just had to get a picture for posterity sake. He's such a cutie.

I Ain't No Monkey's Uncle: A Bloggers Discussion on Evolution

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"Recently, biologists have suggested that females could benefit from mating with many men - it would increase the genetic diversity of their children, and, if a high quality man would not stay with them forever, they might at least get his excellent genes for their child." www.worldhealth.net Huh? This is about the most mind boggling comment I've ever heard. Oh, my hell ('scuse the language... but really). Who wants to bet a man came up with that idea? Let's discuss. I know a lot of people make the argument that science disproves God, but I've always been of the mind that true science would (and does) lead us to God. Examples of my theory. How long did it take the world to be created? No one really knows but the theory is that one day in God's time is a thousand years on Earth. Okay, so God created animals how many days before he created man? Could not dinosaurs have lived during this most tumultuous of periods ( I really don't know, I'm just t

Holy Aching Quadriceps Batman

The pain in my thighs is so bad I can barely sit. Why would I have pain in my thighs? Well, the cover story is that I was working a covert ops mission in Bangladesh until I was discovered and had to crouch on the side of a sheer cliff face for nearly 12 hours before they gave up the search. The truth is far less colorful, but it does involve heights. On Sunday, last, after spraying down the inside of the garage (and having a dead mouse fall on Ralexwin's head... hehehe) I decided it would be worth it to clean out the gutters as well, since we've already got the hose out. I clambered onto the roof, with the help of said husband, and proceeded to circumvent the edge of our house on crouched legs. I thought nothing of it, in fact I was rather pleased with myself for getting all that junk out of the gutters. I got down, enjoyed the rest of my day and went to bed early. I woke up on Monday, rolled out of bed and nearly burst into tears. I didn't know it was possible to ach

Ralexwin + Cannwin

1. Where did you first meet your husband? In my apartment the first day I moved in, I was wearing a pink spaghetti strapped tank and he was wearing red shorts. He was also dating my roommate (for about 2 weeks) and I remember thinking 'I wonder if this is the man I'm going to marry?' We hit it off as friends immediately and talked about all our relationship ups and downs for a few months before anything progressed. Although one of my roommates was convinced he liked me, I didn't think he did. 2. What was the first thing you said to your husband? Hmm, I don't know. Probably "Hi, nice to meet you." 3. Where was your first date? Tough one, cause remember we were friends for a while before we dated. I'd have to say it's a toss up--we had Spanish class together and we used to make this bet that whoever got the lower test score had to buy the other one lunch and he always got the lower test scores *snicker* so he was constantly buying me lunch. BU

Tuesday Tell All- Top Five Celebs

List your top five favorite celebrities and why you like them. It can be someone from the past, present, or anywhere in between. Have fun! Eww, this ones a tough one because I really don't get to interested in celebrities. I can really get into the characters they play but once you learn a little about the person you don't like them so much. But I suppose celebrity can be anyone famous and not limited to actors. In no particular order: 1. Andrean Sudbury Why? I first heard of this man when I was in England and I began to read his blog. I think he had an affect on me because he was my age, even a little younger when the cancer hit him. He really used his last days to do good in the world. He faced death straight in the eyes and walked towards it. I can't imagine how terrifying that would be, but he seemed to handle it well and I really grieved when he died, even though I didn't know him. I still grieve I suppose. He was a very brave man. 2. Abigail Adams Why?

Lights On... Lights Off... Lights On... Lights Off (look closely)

So the other day I was in the shower when I heard the distinct sound of a stool being scooted into the bathroom. It's my little baby whose discovered that if he has a stool he can turn the switches on the walls. Click. The fan goes on. Click. The lights go off. I briefly think that maybe I could reach the curtain rod and open them so I can see better. Click. The fan goes off. Click. Have you ever had one of those experiences when you're trying to relax and someone just keeps interrupting you? Click. Have you ever been reading a book (or taking a shower) and no matter what you do you just aren't getting left alone. Click. I drop the soap on my foot and try not to swear, or smile. Click. Do you have babies in your home? The ones that are about 18 months old and find the greatest joy in discovering things, like lights. Click. And switches. Click. And fans. Click. “Baby!” I holler, laughing. Click. “Mama?” Click. There's the pitter patter of feet. Si

Fire, Water, and the Written Word Part 3 (last part)

I began to write more voraciously than ever before. I wrote poems, stories, and songs. I wrote in a journal, in my notebooks at school, even on scraps of paper strewn throughout the house. Through words I was able to create the picture of a girl trapped between custody battles, fist fights, abusive boyfriends, and bad choices. Some days all I could bear to do was scratch holes into my paper, scribbling furiously trying to release the emotions trapped inside of me. I spent most of my money on notebooks, diaries, and anything else that held a blank page. Then, in what I know to be the singularly greatest event in my life, my mother sent me to live with my brother. She had done everything in her power for me and was still losing. So it was, that at the age of seventeen I packed my bags and, without a word to my friends, left determined to change my destiny. * The apartment is a tiny one bedroom, my space inside it even smaller. I've got the fold out couch and this little closet stuff

Fire, Water and the Written Word Part 2

Least favorite subject, hands down, is fourth period literature with Mrs. Oakleberry. No one ever seems to listen in here. She’s a plump woman, and her name always makes me wish she wore wild clothes like the teacher in The Magic School Bus books, she's odd enough. According to rumor, the woman doesn’t own a television. I can’t imagine what she does for fun. Today she announces a new section, poetry. Everyone groans, I groan. Mrs. Oakleberry smiles and pulls out her book, we follow suit. Her voice is loud and clear seemingly unaware of the chatter around her. With the first words of “The Highwayman” she holds me captive. My ears ring slightly as my eyes focus on the dark and distant moors, the moon rising across a ribbon of road. And the highwayman came riding. Riding, riding, The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn door. * It was in that moment that I discovered poetry. Words sang in my soul once more and after many years I picked up books again, drinking in the rhythmic

Fire, Water and the Written Word Part 1

The smell of dust and summer surround me as I lay encased in the swinging arms of our bright-red Brazilian hammock. A breeze drifts through the cloth, cooling me, moving me slightly. The dog wanders over and sniffs at me curiously trying to discern the red cocoon dangling in her territory. The house is silent. No one is yelling. No one is home. It isn’t odd to be left alone; I enjoy it, look forward to it. I look forward to the undisputed use of the hammock, the uninterrupted hours where I can disappear into a world more dangerous than my own. I turn a page of The Case of the Vanishing Boy; Jan is hiding in a van scared; he blinks and is transported to safety. I wish I could close my eyes and leave, close my eyes and go somewhere else. A squirrel scurries across the ground. The dog barks. I move my hips a little to get the hammock moving again; Jan is hurrying along the hedge, avoiding lights, avoiding danger. He’s so strong, I wish I were strong. Our car pulls into the driveway, a