Halloween Happenings

Well between town Halloween festivals, teen parties, church bonfires, and pre-school parties I'm holidayed out before it's even here. Everyone seems to be having fun and I just keep making all the junk disappear when they go to bed.

I've been trying to buy a new treadmill. I've had no luck. After much research Dh decided on a model, and low and behold now it is discontinued. I'm looking again.

I'm also arguing with the insurance company. I suspect they are in cahoots with either the blood pressure medicine cartel or the prozac lobby, because you need on or the other after speaking to them.

It is time for basketball sign ups. Argh, just argh!

For the record, my 5yo is adorable. He's been calling my ma'am. Then he says "How do you like that ma'am stuff ma'am. You like it, huh? huh?

Last question: Who decided six kids, six pumpkins and sharp, pointy implements would be a good idea?

Twenty Years Ago Today

The weather was cold and stormy and my now dh had the flu. I wondered if universal karma was trying to send me a message. It seemed we had not chosen a propitious day for marriage, but here we are. Not bankrupt, not abusive, not having affairs, even sharing a bedroom. Dr. Phil and Oprah would find us unique, LOL. Anyway, Happy Anniversary to us.

Top Five Reasons I'll Keep DH
1) He goes to work everyday so I don't have to.
2) He makes sure I have an ice scraper and candy bars in the glove box come winter.
3) We have good "chemistry".
4) He bought into the 'let's have six kids' logic.
5) He tactfully refrains from pointing out my possibly annoying habits.

Slowing Down?

Why do I always think that things are going to slow down. I guess I've got a flat learning curve on that one. What has been going on? No surprise trips to Europe or anything. L was sick until yesterday when her fever FINALLY went away. Six days of fever is miserable. I did take her to the doctor on Friday. They did a quick strep test, but it was negative. I guess it was just some virulent virus.
Friday night I went camping with the Boy/Cub scouts. It was fine if a bit chilly. The boys have good sleeping bags but I had the Kmart/slumber party number. I slept in about three layers, though, and did ok. I. of course, crept out early and got COFFEE!!!!. How do people camp without coffee. (My addiction is a sad thing.)
Saturday evening we went to a bonfire/cookout/Halloween party. We left L home with E who is far too cool to attend this sort of event anyway. The kids who went had a good time playing football, climbing trees and doing the hayride thing. The weather Saturday was great. That of course ended sometime Sunday morning because by the time I got up it was spitting snow. We went to church and then came home and made a fire, watched football and finally gave Mel her cake. She turned three on Friday but we were too busy that day. I had planned on having people over on Sunday but called them and told them they probably didn't want to come to the House of Illmess. I don't think Mel cared at all. She got cake and presents. That is pretty much all you need when you are three. I didn't get any pictures because my digital camera seems to have died. I'll need to get another one, but I don't know when. I keep thinking that if I just push enough buttons it will work again.
Monday morning C vomited all over his sheets. Not my favorite way to be awakened, so he stayed home from school too. Maybe today will be slower? Yeah, right!

Famdemic!

Famdemic is the word coined by S for the family pandemic we are currently experiencing. I seriously think the last time any of the kids were sick was two years ago. I don't think Mel has ever been sick and she turns three on Friday. They have broken that streak however. Some sort of croupy, fevery beasty is making its way through the house. So far E, S and I have been spared but the others have succumbed. It's nothing serious, but you can't send them to school hacking with a 102 fever. Of course the really scary, seal-like coughing, gasping for air stuff is left for 2am. I really detest sitting in a steamy bathroom, checking their nail beds to see if they are cyanotic. I must have missed that page in the parenting brochure. Otherwise things are fine. The weather has been gray and chilly. Since I've been stuck home I've been keeping a nice fire mulling all day. That along with medicinal doses of chocolate and fiction are keeping me sane. Here's hoping others are faring better.

Finale

We have crossed the sports finish line...at least for autumn. Football concluded last week and the boys enjoyed a lock in on Friday night. No word as to whether the coaches enjoyed it. Elementary cross country was to finish Wednesday, but they called the race for snow. Ack! Saturday included the final soccer games and we finished up with that awards ceremony last night. Sigh--made it. Now I'll breathe before basketball (the sport that never ends) begins.
Saturday I went with the Brownies to a Pumpkin Kingdom. I'm proud to say that my group left the corn maze with the same number of girls that entered. My nerves are still laying in shreds somewhere inside. This coming Friday I am supposed to go with my Cub Scours to a Boy Scout camp out. Let us all now bend our knees and plead that the weather warms up, ALOT! Hopefully now that things are slower I will be able to blog more often, though what there will be to talk about if we actually stay home I don't know.

AUTUMN

The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry’s cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town. 20
The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I ’ll put a trinket on.
Emily Dickinson

We had it today. We wait all year for it. We had that one perfect weather day for autumn we get in Indiana. Lots of sports, laughing, leaves, bright cheeked, sweaty children and pumpkin pie for dessert. Now I only have to wait for the next perfect day in, oh, May.

Random Thoughts

I was a bit shocked to hear F from the living room shouting about condoms. Relax, he meant condors-those big ugly buzzards.

I have lately found myself saying things that make me want to bite off my tongue. Things like:
Because I'm your mother, that's why!
Go out and bring back some cash from the money tree and then we'll talk.
When you are 18 you can pierce and tattoo your whole body, until then you're stuck with ball point pen.

These were things my parents would have said. I am just as weird as my parents. Good Grief!

I've been working on weight loss. I like quotations, thus I have collected weight loss quotes. Another sign I'm weird.




" When life hands you lemons - make lemonade ... and then go find someone whose life has thrown them vodka and have a party!" ~unknown

"Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands and then eat just one of the pieces." - Judith Viorst

"Never eat more than you can lift." - Miss Piggy

"I don't diet. I just don't eat as much as I'd like to." - Linda Evangalista

" Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart." - Erma Bombeck

"By today's beauty standards, of course, Marilyn Monroe was an oil tanker." - Dave Barry

"I've been on a constant diet for the last two decades. I've lost a total of 789 pounds. By all accounts, I should be hanging from a charm bracelet." - Erma Bombeck

"Japanese food is very pretty and undoubtedly a suitable cuisine in Japan, which is largely populated by people of below average size. Hostesses hell-bent on serving such food to occidentals would be well advised to supplement it with something more substantial and to keep in mind that almost everybody likes french fries."-Fran Leibowitz

"I don't exercise. If God wanted me to bend over he'd have put diamonds on the floor." - Joan Rivers

"An Englishman teaching an American about food is like the blind leading the one-eyed."-AJ Leibling


"When I buy cookies I eat just four and throw the rest away. But first I spray them with Raid so I won't dig them out of the garbage later. Be careful though, because that Raid really doesn't taste that bad." - Janette Barber