Pictures.....

Brea has been very busy the past month or so, but she finally sent me pictures from her visit!  I guess we were busy, since there aren't many.  Ok, two.  These are for you, Kellie!

Oh, and regarding the Abercrombie bikini scandal, if you've been following the story........Brea says that they duplicated the adult bathing suit for the kids' store.  They didn't think to take out the padding in the kids' store; they weren't trying to be scandalous.  And the store ranges from 8 to 16, the suit was really meant more for the teens-which is more understandable!  Brea says that they were not trying to enhance the 8-year-old's cleavage.  (In case you were all wondering.  Brea is very important in the company and I know that she has the real scoop!)

Oh, and I woke up today without a voice.  I now sound like a man.  It's pretty funny.  I am singing a song and Lindsey is laughing at me because it's hoarse and cracking. 

Here's the Word of the Day:

bivouac \BIV-wak, BIV-uh-wak\, noun:

1. An encampment for the night, usually under little or no shelter.

intransitive verb:
1. To encamp for the night, usually under little or no shelter.

My Little Boy

I am now in unfamiliar territory.  I was getting Carson and Dylan to bed, which required standing by their door and continuing to go in and place them back into bed.  While I was doing that, Lindsey was practicing her lines and waiting for me to run through them with her.  Meanwhile, down the hall Logan is peacefully sleeping in his bed, or so I thought.  I went in to admire the precious little dreamer when I noticed a light coming from underneath his covers and I realized that he was not dreaming, but wide awake and up to no good.  I assumed that it was his DS illuminating the blanket.  I was on the verge of yelling at him for sneaking a video game in bed and he said “No, Mommy!  No!”  I grabbed the light and it was not a DS, but a plastic flashlight from a Happy Meal, which had been busy shining the VICTORIA’S SECRET magazine that lay hidden under his covers.  I was speechless.  He kept saying that our next door neighbor gave it to him and I just said “Go to bed.”  I went down and told Don, but of course he laughed and said that he’s just curious and that there’s nothing to handle.  I went upstairs and said “Don’t read magazines after bedtime, Logan.” 

Next time I see a light in Logan’s room, I’ll know that it's a job for his dad.  Logan was mortified.  I was stunned, speechless, and I still haven’t picked my jaw up from the floor.  My little boy……..

Here’s the Word of the Day:

lucre \LOO-kuhr\, noun:

Monetary gain; profit; riches; money; -- often in a bad sense.

Mr. Bear, the Man of the House

Lindsey had a special practice this morning for her Willy Wonka play so I took her to school at 7:45, and of course we were rushed again because we slept too late.  I think that we are all ready for summer.  Poor Don doesn’t get to enjoy sleeping in during the summer, and I guess since I pack his lunch, neither do I.  But the kids, I can tell, are exhausted and are ready for a break.  They have so much to do when they get home from school, and after playing a little and eating there is always some reason to get to bed too late—this makes them tired in the morning.  Lindsey was not even released from Girl Scouts until 8:40 last night.  How ridiculous is that?  I still had to get home and cook dinner and put the boys to bed! 

I went to the gym this morning and then came home and fed the boys lunch.  Carson threw a temper tantrum because I wouldn't let him eat a cough drop and I realized that he needed a nap.  I gave them a bath first and after washing off their little cheeks which were stained with spaghetti sauce we watched a little Elmo.  My plan to wind them down with a video didn’t work because they got up to play with their new cars.  They started to fight over the “good car” and I remembered that I still need to call Little Tykes to get a replacement piece to make the cars the same.  The boys can tell which one drives smoother, and therefore are fighting every single time that they play with them.  Thanks a lot, Little Tykes.  Carson screamed to the point that I thought he might throw up and made it perfectly clear that he didn't want to nap, so I finally allowed him to sleep on the floor with his stuffed friends and blankies.  Well of course, Dylan wanted to sleep with him.  They are snuggling together on the floor in their room and I am wondering why bothered at all to buy cribs.  Seriously.  They’ve never gotten what I would call "normal usage".  We're considering buying one big bed for them since they’re happier sleeping together anyway.   And I bought “Lifetime Cribs.”  There was my mistake.  Ha!  Sucker. 

I started reading “Rebecca” and so far it’s very good.  I read the back and discovered that the author also wrote a novella called “The Birds”.  Alfred Hitchcock later made it into a movie, which I saw when I was around 9 or so. 

I know that I must have been exhausted last night because I feel asleep while watching “Good Fellas” on AMC—nothing like Martin Scorsese and Joe Pesci to lull me off to sleep!

I realize that SLEEP is a common theme in this blog.  I'm not clueless to the fact that the lack-there-of is an issue, in case you were wondering.  I know that everone gets tired, but our house must seem very deprived as much as I talk about it.  Will I ever sleep a full night again?  I sure hope so.  Dylan finally slept all night last night because I made Mr. Bear answer "yes" when I asked if he wanted to sleep in Dylan's big-boy bed.  Can you believe that that worked?  That bear holds a lot of power!  But then Carson didn't sleep.  See????  Oh, and Lindsey was sleepwalking and making weird noises.  So even if the one problematic sleeper decides to sleep because his fuzzy friend says so, another is awake. 

Here’s the Word of the Day:

bedaub \bih-DOB\, transitive verb:

1. To smudge over; to besmear or soil with anything thick and dirty.
2. To overdecorate; to ornament showily or excessively.

Birthday Boys and Pointe Shoes

This past weekend was very long.  It felt long because I felt like I had to throw so much together at the last minute.  I successfully ordered a cake for the boys, finished shopping for them, and got the family together for a little party.  I told Don that I am so happy that I only have one girl because although I love to plan parties, I don’t have time.  I have accepted that it’s just not possible for me to do at this time, and Lindsey is the only one who cares about the cute and themed party anyway.  The boys want two things: cake and presents.  And that’s what they all got.  Originally we were going to Dave and Buster's but they were closed for a private event.  Peyton’s 2^nd choice was bowling.  We knew that Carson and Dylan wouldn’t be able to bowl, but we let them pretend like they were with us.  They would roll the ball down the aisle and cheer for themselves afterward.  Everyone had fun.  The boys both got cars to drive around in, you know, the red and yellow Flintstone-like cars?  They got a sand and water table for outside, they got two little “shoot-shoots”, a.k.a. Nerf guns.  They got a big basketball hoop and a bunch of clothes.  They spent hours riding around in their cars last night; of course they want the same one and keep fighting, even though they are exactly the same.  One of them is harder to maneuver, but just slightly.  Leave it to the twins to notice the differences!

Peyton is definitely a teenager now because he asked for clothes for his birthday.  And by the way, he's much taller than me now.  In February he was just a hair taller than me; I am 5'3.  Now I feel like he's actually towering over me.  I feel small next to him; sort of a bizarre feeling.  I asked him if it's weird to be looking down at me and he said that it isn't.  I guess I am the only one who finds it odd that I used to hold his hand and bend down to talk to him and now his clothes are bigger than mine. 

Here’s the only picture I have from yesterday.  I forgot my cameras…..aren’t I a wonderful mother?  Carson was cramming his face into his plate and we were all laughing because he had cake up his nose and all over his face.  He thought it was hilarious.  It isn't the best picture, but ah well.  At least it's something!  Our eyes look satanic, but I didn't find the time to edit it  If you click on it it looks better.

Lindsey went to the ballet with her Uncle Bill on Saturday night.  He bought her a pair of autographed Pointe shoes and she’s been dancing around in them all weekend.  They actually fit her; that ballerina must be a midget.  Or little person?  What’s PC?  Of course, I have been telling her to take them off because her feet aren’t finished growing and I don’t want her to ruin them.  She told her dance teacher that she wants to be on Pointe right now, but Miss Devan said “NO, Chenault!  Not until you’re 12!  Your feet aren’t done growing!  You’re nuts!” I keep reminding Lindsey that she said that, but I keep finding them on her feet.  Lindsey said “If I get to dance around in Pointe shoes I won’t even want to wear tap shoes anymore.  I will never take them off!”  Cute.

I have an extremely busy week and on top of the endless errands, I have to get the house back into shape.  When I have company I sort of let the house go because I am enjoying my guests!  I will write a little every day though!  I’m reading a book right now.  It’s called “Rebecca” by  Daphne Du Maurier.  One of my old English professors that I have kept in touch with told me that I have to read it.  Hopefully I will make time to read this week.

Here’s the Word of the Day:

afflatus \uh-FLAY-tuhs\, noun:
A divine imparting of knowledge; inspiration.

I'm Back!

It has been so weird not writing for the past few days!  I have definitely missed it!  I had a great time this week with my cousin, Zoë, and I am so happy that I took all of the time I could gather to spend with her.  She’s such a great kid.  The weird thing is that she’s actually closer in age to Lindsey than me and she’s only 4 years older than Peyton, but we were able to hang out and we didn’t feel like we are far apart in age.  I guess it’s because I act goofy and like a child, and she’s very mature for 17.  And I didn’t act like her mother because I swore to myself that I wouldn’t and I am proud to say that I didn’t.  I did have to catch her up on a lot of movies and I definitely felt old when she’d say things like “Who’s Molly Ringwald?” But that’s how it goes, I guess! 

I took her to Yoga twice and Pilates once.  She loved Yoga but wanted to die during Pilates and wanted to kill me later because she was so sore.  I took her to the awesome lady on Tuesdays that pretty much tortures everyone.  The rest of the time we watched movies, took walks, and snuggled and played with the boys.  She wanted to eat Dylan because he’s so cute and squishy!  As far as movies, we watched: Gone with the Wind, Food, Inc., When Harry Met Sally, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo’s Fire, and we planned on watching Steel Magnolias, but we ran out of time. 

I took her downtown on Wednesday.  We had lunch and went to the High.  I have wanted to go to that museum for the past 7 years and have never made time, so I was really excited to go.  They had a “Toulouse Lautrec and Friends” exhibit that I definitely wanted to see.  If you’ve been in my house, you know how I love French vintage posters.  Nearly every room has them hanging on the walls!  I loved the exhibit because I saw a lot of his work that I had never seen before, but I also finally really understand how a lithograph is made.  I have briefly had it explained to me, but the museum had a step-by-step explanation of what a lithograph actually is hanging on the wall.  I was a little disappointed about one thing…..I love Degas and the exhibit claimed to have SOME Degas, but there was only one tiny little sketch, and it didn’t even look like his typical work.  It looked like he started something and didn’t finish it.  I was very sad! 

Thursday night we went shopping for the boys’ birthdays because they turned two yesterday! I absolutely can’t believe that they are two.  I know I’m supposed to say it every year, but I really mean it.  I can’t believe that I had them two years ago, and I can’t believe that I have been at home for two years already!  My babies aren’t babies anymore, but they are still my babies, they always will be.  We haven’t celebrated their birthday yet because I had to drive to Nashville to take Zoë back and Don had to drive to Birmingham to get Peyton.  Needless to say, yesterday was not the best day for a party!  I will post pictures of them on Monday, hopefully.  We are not only celebrating the babies’ birthdays, but we are celebrating Peyton’s birthday, which was on Tuesday; he turned 13!  Can you believe that? 

Carson and Dylan are speaking very well.  They are grasping the concept of saying “Please” and “Thank you” more lately and everything that they are saying is getting even clearer.  They are absolutely precious boys and I am so glad that God knew better than I did, and that they were born regardless of my plans to wait 2 or 3 more years than we did to have one.  That's right, I said ONE. Also glad that God knew better than me on that one too.  Glad I had two at a time.....twice! 

I hope that everyone has a great Saturday!  I have a lot to do today and tomorrow and really need to get moving!  No Word of the Day because I accidentally deleted it this morning.  I am posting a few Toulouse Lautrec pictures though!  

Creating More Time

Peyton, Carson and Dylan's birthdays are all this week and my cousin, Zoe, is visiting until Friday.  I hate to do this because I have been faithful and have written every day since I created this blog, but I am trying to create time that I do not have right now.  I have decided to take a break from blogging until this weekend.  My cousin has not seen "The Breakfast Club" and several other cult classics, so I will be busy catching her up, shopping for the boys' birthdays, and planning whatever we're doing for their birthday.  I am terrible because I haven't planned it yet! I will write again this weekend and I'm sure that I will have plenty of material!  Have a wonderful week at work!

Sleepy!

I drove to Nashville today and I am too tired to write!  Lots to write about tomorrow after I sleep!  I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Eat Lots of Sweet Potatoes!

It is such a beautiful day today!  I got up around 7 with the boys and after a little bit of cartoon watching we got dressed and had breakfast.  I felt really good this morning because I slept better than I usually do.  Carson slept until 7 am, with no interruptions, and Dylan only woke up 2 or 3 times.  We played outside a little bit while I had my coffee, even though there was dew on the ground and I knew that they would get a little bit wet and dirty.  They are obsessed with playing outside these days.  Carson will stand by the door saying “Ball!  Outside!  Car!  Outside,” until you finally decide to take him out.  We went to yoga at 9:30 and then when we got home we took a walk with Lindsey and Logan.  We just had lunch and a bath, and hopefully the boys will take a nice long nap and get rested for the birthday party we're going to, which is at 4.

My mom sent the following in an email a few days ago and I think it is so cool!  I don’t know who wrote it, nor where it came from, but it’s pretty wise for something going around in an email.  I choose to believe that it is factually correct because it won’t hurt me to do so, but I did not research it.  Read it and see what you think…….

EAT LOTS OF SWEET POTATOES - QUITE INTERESTING INDEED!

 It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, and made animals and fish... all before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were born. These are best & more powerful when eaten raw.   We're such slow learners...


God left us a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body! 
God's Pharmacy!   Amazing! 

A  sliced Carrot looks like the human  eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... And YES, science now shows carrots   greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the   eyes.  

A  Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food. 

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food. 

A  Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums.  Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function. 

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys. 

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength.  Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don’t have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak.  These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body. 

Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this?  It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).  

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow.  Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility. 

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics. 

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries 

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts. 

Onions look like the body's cells.  Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body. 

And finally, here's the Word of the Day.  Have a great weekend!

interregnum \in-tuhr-REG-nuhm\, noun;
plural interregnums \-nuhmz\ or interregna \-nuh\:
1. The interval between two reigns; any period when a state is left without a ruler.
2. A period of freedom from authority or during which government functions are suspended.
3. Any breach of continuity in an order; a lapse or interval in a continuity.

My Little Amélie

My niece, Amélie, is one of the most adorable creatures on the planet, I am sure of it.  She will be three in about a month and I just crack up any time that I hear about her. She is hilarious and I wish that we lived closer to one another.  She is very into princesses right now, so she’s always wearing crazy outfits and get this—she calls her princess-like shoes her “fancies.”  Is that not the girliest thing that you have ever heard?  She speaks English and French, and the Parisian thing suits her well because she’s so “fancy.” 

I talked to my sister, Ashli, yesterday and she said that when she gets home from work Amélie always asks her “So, how was your day at work today, Mama?  Did you make all the moneys?” All the moneys?  I could just eat her. 

Here are some pictures of my little Amélie:

Here's the Word of the Day:

truckle \TRUHK-uhl\, intransitive verb:
1. To yield or bend obsequiously to the will of another; to act in a subservient manner.
noun:
1. A small wheel or roller; a caster.

Cheese, Canes, and Monocles

I was driving to the gym this morning and that old song by Jimmy Cliff, “I Can See Clearly Now” came on the radio.  It’s sort of a cheesy song, but I found myself listening to the words and thinking about a couple of my friends who are going through a really difficult time right now.  (If you’re wondering if it’s you then it isn’t.  I have already told them that this entry is for them and told them to read it!) 

I keep sounding like a bumper sticker and Dr. Phil when I give them advice, but there really isn’t another way to say what needs to be said sometimes.  The fact is that sometimes you’re so deep in the fog that you can’t see your way around the thickness and can’t find your way out.  We do a lot of stupid things when we can’t see and we can’t understand what others are doing either.  Then when the fog lifts, we somehow gain perspective.  I can’t tell my friends anything other than “It’ll be ok, just do the right thing and it’ll be ok one day,” because it is the truth.  I am sure that they are ready to punch me in the face, but it’s true that “this too shall pass.” 

As I listened to the song, I started thinking about whether “time heals all pain” because human beings are such slow learners that it takes us a long time to absorb what has happened, accept it, learn from it and move on, or do we just get to a point that we are just too lazy to care anymore and get distracted by our latest troubles?  And sometimes I think that the only reason that we stop caring about a situation isn’t because it’s gotten better or that we’ve grown from it, but because we just get tired of hanging on or caring about the person who has caused us so much turmoil.  I know that I have hated someone so much in my past and the only reason that I stopped hating them is because I just didn’t care about them anymore, therefore I stopped caring about what they did in the first place.  So, is that really learning from a situation?  Or are you then going to find yourself in the same situation with someone else?  I guess we can choose which way we deal with it and I guess that both reasons that "time heals"' are probably true.    

My mom has always told me that God will keep giving us the same lesson to learn until we finally learn it.  I have always tried to remember that when I am in a dreadful situation.  I think to myself “I never want to go through this again, so I had better learn from it or God will give me another dose!” 

Here are the words to the song in case it’s so old that you have forgotten them!  I have only posted two parts because the rest is so ridiculously cheesy, I couldn’t stand it.  To whom this blog is meant for, read these cheesy lines and remember them so I no longer have to sound so cheesy myself.  I don’t even like Dr. Phil! 

I can see clearly now the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day
It's gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day

Oh yes, I can make it now the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I've been praying for
It's gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day

By the way, on a lighter note, I was on the elliptical today and saw an episode of “Kourtney & Kim Take New York”.  What I am about to say will be interesting even if you don’t give a rat’s ass about the Kardashians.  Here’s a little backgrounder: Kourtney Kardashian has a baby with Scott, who is the biggest douche of all time.  He always has a pastel sweater tied around his shoulders and is usually found crossing his legs and drinking out of straws……you get the point.  But as much as you want to make fun of him, he is entertaining.  In this morning’s episode (I’m sure it’s really old since I’m just now watching it) Scott decides to make a fashion statement.  He wants to pick something that really catches on, so he goes out and buys a cane.  He takes this cane everywhere and poor Kourtney looks like she wants to die.  He uses it as a pointer stick at the coffee shop, saying “You could have a espresso (point) or a hot chocolate (point)”.  I was just giggling like you wouldn’t believe because it was so ridiculous.  It reminded me of this guy that my Uncle Andy knew who wanted to bring back the monocle.  Can you imagine everyone walking around with canes and monocles in their Abercrombie?  Thanks to these people I have something to laugh about!  Below, I posted Scott with his cane, then it's him and his sweater, and then a cat with a monocle.  I just thought that a kitty wearing a monocle was funny-no other reason!

Here's your Word of the Day.  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

quaff \KWOFF; KWAFF\, intransitive verb:
1. To drink a beverage, esp. an intoxicating one, copiously and with hearty enjoyment.
transitive verb:
1. To drink (a beverage) copiously and heartily
noun:
1. An act or instance of quaffing.
2. A beverage quaffed.

Head in the Clouds, Feet on the Ground

I feel so sorry for the Japanese right now.  How awful is it that not only do they have to endure a tsunami, but now have to fear radiation from a nuclear disaster?  And I hate to state the obvious, but the Japanese were already nuked twice and they dealt with the radiation from that for generations to come—thanks to us.  From what I’m reading and seeing on TV, the situation is not getting any better.  I really feel sorry for these people. 

I took a poll on Fox News and the question was “Are you concerned that radiation from the Japanese nuclear disaster will reach the United States?”  The possible answers and results, so far, were as follows:

1.   Not really—there’s a big ocean out there (52.32%)

2.   Somewhat—Radiation pouring into the atmosphere concerns me, no matter how far away.    (33.17%)

3.   Very—I’m monitoring the situation closely to see if it will affect me. (11.23%)

4.   I don’t know— (2.21%) 

5.   Other (Post a comment)— (1.07%)  My answer to these people…..how about answering the question, not posting a comment, dummies?

I answered #1, but I doubt my answer the more I give any thought to it.  We’re concerned about pollution because it falls into the ocean and the creatures that we eat ingest the pollutants.  If we are what we eat, we’re eating stuff that makes us sick and cause cancer.  So if the radiation is carried by the wind and dumped into the water, we are going to be affected.  Right?  We know that that’s what happens, so should we be worried?  Unfortunately, I am not a science person.  However, sometimes it’s better not to be a science person—when things get scary you can spend your time in the clouds with the other dreamers, writing about worlds that have happy endings.  I have always wanted to be a journalist, but I have gotten to a point in my life where I get very depressed about what’s going on and it’s easier to write creatively than to really dissect the news.  One of my professors once told me that I am a sweet person, which meant that I was more likely to burn out at a young age.  He said “When you spend an evening covered in soot after a plane crashes and you go home and realize you’re washing off human remains, it’s easy to find a new career.”  What he said was so graphic that I thought about it a lot while I was in school, and obviously have never forgotten it.  He was a great teacher, but he was very hard on me.  He wanted me to go into print rather than TV because all TV reporters do is “fluff their hair.”  I remember him upsetting me on more than one occasion, but now I realize that he was a realist and I respect him for it.  The world is a good place, but it is also a nasty, sad, evil place where very upsetting things happen.  I was too cheery and idyllic to listen to what he was saying at the ripe age of 22, but I understand it now.   Sometimes the news is awful, but someone has to report on it.  We should all care, no matter how awful it is—we can’t just stick our heads in the clouds.  We should count our blessings and say lots of prayers for those less fortunate. 

By the way, if you ever want to see a good movie about the creation of the nuclear bombs that we dropped on Japan in WW2 and what radiation does to you, watch "Fat Man and Little Boy."  John Cusack is in it.  He touches a reactor or something and his hand swells up.....I can't say anymore.  It's nasty.  Radiation is nasty stuff, dude. 

Here's the Word of the Day: 

   apposite \AP-uh-zit\, adjective:

     Being of striking appropriateness and relevance; very applicable; apt.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Has anyone seen Pia Toscano on “American Idol”?  Wow.  That girl gives me Goosebumps.  I typically don’t get them from someone’s voice, but from string instruments instead, probably because I played the violin for so long.  I guess she has the same effect on my boys.  Look at this picture!  It’s so cute!  They are sitting together on the end of the ottoman, completely glued to the TV.  We recorded the show last week and were playing it for them last night.

One of my friends followed my advice and started watching “Lost” last week.  She is addicted, which is what I told her would happen.  It’s pretty much her full-time job at the present time.  I called her and she answered “Who dares to interrupt my ‘Lost’ time?”  She loves the show, but she is also in love with Sayid.  I would say that this guilty pleasure, Sayid, is the real thing that keeps her up until 5:00 in the morning!  I watched the entire series too quickly, but she definitely has me beat.  She’s somewhere in Season 3 now.  (At least she was yesterday.)  I told my friend that she definitely has a chance with Sayid, should she ever run into him.  He went out with Barbara Hershey.  Have you seen her lately?  Ewwwww.

Today’s my mom’s birthday.  Happy Birthday, Mom!  I am going to spend it by going to Pilates and attempting to clean the house again.  Wish you weren’t thousands of miles away; I’d bake you a cake.  

Here’s the Word of the Day:

blandishment \BLAN-dish-muhnt\, noun:

Speech or action that flatters and tends to coax, entice, or persuade; allurement -- often used in the plural.

I'm so IMPERFECT!

Last night I decided to do the very thing that I’ve needed to do……let Dylan cry.  For months now I have been getting up in the middle of the night and tucking him back in with his bear and paci.  This happens sometimes 10 times a night, and I have continued to do it in hopes that he'll just decide to sleep one day.  Last night around 2 am I let him stand at the gate and cry for about an hour, or a little more.  Finally, I got up, gave him his paci and bear and tucked him back in and told him that I wasn’t doing it again.  He slept the rest of the night.  It could be a fluke or he may have worn himself out.  I couldn’t go back to sleep until 5 and then I woke up again at 5:30 because Lindsey’s alarm was going off.  (She and Don have plans to run together in the morning.)  I couldn’t get the thing to turn off, so I unplugged it out of frustration.  Then it went off again, with the help of batteries.  I finally stuffed it under a thousand pillows in case it went off again.  Lindsey never even squirmed, so I went back to bed for another hour or so and then woke her up around 7:15. 

I was really tired this morning and knew that I had to have coffee or I wasn’t going to make it.   I went to make some coffee and realized that Logan broke my coffee pot yesterday and didn’t tell me.  The reason I know that he did it is because I asked him to take the trash out, and he hadn’t done it after I'd asked 3 or 4 times.  I said “What are you doing in there?”  He said “Oh, I just poured out your coffee.”  Hmmmmmm.  So I had to get the boys ready to go this morning to buy a new coffee pot so I won’t get a headache later.

I had a couple of blonde moments this morning too.  First, I asked Don why it wasn’t easier to get up because it should be lighter since the time changed, but in fact, it turns out I’m retarded and it’s just the opposite.  (Sorry, I don’t really mean retarded.  Not PC, I know.)  I guess one can get practically straight A’s in college and yet never truly understand the Earth’s rotation, alignment, time zones, and time changes.  Ah well, you can’t win ‘em all. 

My second blonde moment……I caught my coffee pot on fire.  I was desperate for a cup, so I went ahead and poured the water in, put the coffee in, and turned the thing on with just a mug underneath the spout.  It was brewing, but nothing came out.  I poked the spout and it started to drip, but then it smelled like fire and smoke was billowing out of the top.  I put out the fire with water and learned that a coffee pot is not only for looks….it actually serves a purpose. 

I remember the time that I started a fire in my apartment in Milwaukee.  I lit some candles to relax in my room and made some tea.  I put a mug in the microwave, but I didn’t know that it had a teeny bit of metal on the handle.  I smelled smoke and ran to the microwave.  I saw flames and smoke.  I had actually started a fire by boiling water!  I ran down the hall to get the fire extinguisher and the hammer was stuck on the inside of the glass.  I panicked and started banging on a neighbor’s door—I’m always panicking—and the bad-ass girl that she was broke the glass and ran to my kitchen like Rambo with an UZI.  (Is that what Rambo used?)   She put out the fire and I thanked her over and over again.  Then I tried to get the white powder up with water……for weeks.  Don’t ever wet it!  It turns to a powdery dust that never goes away.  I think I moved out with white stuff all over the counters and floors.  Are you shaking your heads in shame yet?

Now on to my next subject…….the mysteries of the Universe.  I often wonder things like why people from New Jersey are so different than we are, why Pear Trees smell like dead fish, and why God made some monkeys bare-assed.  Was he being funny, or is there a purpose?  I wonder these things and never bother getting a true answer because none of them have a bearing on my life.  But the next mystery of the Universe is this, and it is one that affects my life:  How is it possible to clean with 2 two-year-old boys? 

I set out to clean the kitchen while they sat at the table and had their lunch.  I had to do the dishes, clean the counters, you know, normal stuff.  We’re starting to stick to the floors, and that is just not acceptable, and I have to mop the floors when they are sleeping.  There isn't enough time to clean the whole thing while they are taking a nap.  So here’s how that went down…..um, they pushed the buttons on the dishwasher and ran it occasionally, they were trying to dig in the garbage can, and they were running around banging their wooden spoons on the windows and walls and I had to take them away.  I gave them spoons to bang on pots and pans, but they didn’t stay there for too long.  I can’t allow them to color because it winds up on the walls without supervision, and Barney just wasn’t very interesting to them today.  Carson finally ends up doing this thing with his head when he wants my attention and isn’t getting it; he sticks his head between my legs and pushes until I almost fall back.  Then he grabs my pants and yanks them down.  I don’t allow that, so I pretty much call it a day once they’re at that point.  Dylan was crying “Mama,” and hanging on my legs as well, so it was a good thing that I had tied my sweatpants very tightly. 

Basically, I have these days where I feel like I am about to go nuts, and I have to remember that that’s what people are assuming it’s like for me when I say that I have two sets of twins. So when I brush them off and say “Awww, yeah, it’s all good.  No worries,” It’s really not true.  There are days where I feel like I am not accomplishing anything, even though I am trying so hard to do so.  And I wanted to write this while I am feeling in that state….human....and not trying to hold it together like everything is a piece of cake for me, because there are times where it isn’t. 

I did figure out how to clean the kitchen.  I let the boys help.  Here’s Carson “cleaning” the crayon off the wall, or "Dylan’s mural". 

Maybe the floors will get so sticky that the boys will stay there long enough for me to clean a toilet or two!

Here’s your Word of the Day, and it's something that I hope I am not: 

pusillanimous \pyoo-suh-LAN-uh-muhs\, adjective:
Lacking in courage and resolution; contemptibly fearful; cowardly.

Finally!

Is anyone else really happy that Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel broke up?  I’ve never been one of these girls that freak out over Justin, like some of my friends, but I am someone who has never liked Jessica Biel and never liked the two together.  I don’t want to single ONE of my friends out by name, but FRIEND, did you throw a party when you heard?  I’ll bet you did, with streamers and all!  I've never seen someone more in love with Justin Timberlake.  Haha!

Hope everyone’s having a great weekend!

Here’s the Word of the Day:

aver \uh-VUR\, transitive verb:

1. To affirm with confidence; to declare in a positive manner, as in confidence of asserting the truth.
2. (Law) To assert, claim, or declare as a fact.

Just a Word of the Day......

prolix \pro-LIKS; PRO-liks\, adjective:
1. Extending to a great length; unnecessarily long; wordy.
2. Tending to speak or write at excessive length.

Handler Hatin'

My car has been making a very weird sound when I start it up and I had to take it to the dealership to get it checked out yesterday; I was also due for an oil change.  I had them drop me and the boys off at Chuck E. Cheese so we could play while we waited.  I had a pretty good day because I got to do something fun with the boys, and I no longer have to feel nervous dropping my car off at the dealership because the weirdo who stole my cell phone number and started texting me no longer works there.  About three years ago I started getting these random text messages and I figured that it was a wrong number, so I ignored them.  I got one that said “Happy Valentine’s Day! Love, Randy.”  I asked Don if he thought that it could possibly be the Randy he knew, but that would just be too bizarre since I had only met him once and as far as I knew he didn’t have my number, so I ignored it again.  Finally, we figured out that it was this pervert at the dealership  and let’s just say that we were very nice for not getting him fired.  The dude took my number out of my file and put it into his personal cell phone….isn’t that so odd?  Who does that?  If you have to do something like that, you have like zero friends.  It seriously creeped me out and I was relieved to find that he is no longer employed there.  Now my car won’t suffer.

Here are some pictures of our Chuck E. Cheese trip.  The first one is Dylan looking at Chuckie.  He didn't like him.



After we got the car back I visited a friend and her baby, Kayli.  Actually, she’s not a baby anymore!  She’s 9 days older than Carson and Dylan.  They’re so cute when they’re all together.  She kisses the boys.  I think she’s having a hard time deciding which one of my boys she’s going to marry one day.  First, it was Carson and Kayli in the bassinet as newborns because we like the way their names sound together, but now we’re thinking that they would kill each other because they’re too much alike.  Ha!  I’m kidding.  We’re not that crazy!  I just wanted to eat her up yesterday because she says "Yes, Ma'am."  But she says "Yesth."  It's so adorable. 

I went to the gym last night and watched a little E! while I was on the elliptical.  I wish that they would change the channel in front of that machine, but that’s what’s on, so I am forced to learn about people I don’t care about.  For example, Chelsea Handler was on.  Um, why is this woman famous?  I am not trying to be a trader to my girls here and say something sexist, but the only time you should be allowed to be that big of a beotch on TV is if you’re hot, and she’s not.  She’s bitchy, mean, not funny, and ugly.  She looks like she would eat her young if she were hungry.  She just gets under my skin!  And I hate when she’s all glammed up in her “Chelsea Lately” ad—a fan is blowing her hair, and she turns to the camera trying to be sexy.  She looks uncomfortable, like she’s thinking “I’m funny, I shouldn’t have to wear lipstick.!”  I keep thinking about how uncomfortable a dog would feel if it were posing for Playboy and I imagine that’s how she feels. 

That’s about what I’ve got today: Handler hatred and psychotic service dudes.  Geez, Britt.  Sometimes I wonder about me.  So random.

Let's keep everyone in our prayers today; a lot of people died in the tsunami.  I am happy to report that I spoke with my mom this morning and she and Greg are fine in LA. They are 10 miles away from the coast and have not cancelled their plans to see "Beauty and the Beast" this evening.   My mom sounded tired and said that my grandma called to check on her at 4:30 this morning and told them to start driving away from the coast, but they aren't.  They would be the last to let a cataclysimic event shatter their plans! 

Here’s the Word of the Day—may it bring more intelligence to you than the rest of this posting!  Have a great day!  By the way, I am not choosing these words.  They are sent to me daily from Dictionary.com and the strange thing is that they always seem to fit about what I've written about.  I write everything, then I go and get the word from my email.  So look at the definition today.  Does that sound like Chelsea Handler or what?

epicene \EP-uh-seen\, adjective:

1. Having the characteristics of both sexes.
2. Effeminate; unmasculine.
3. Sexless; neuter.
4. (Linguistics) Having but one form of the noun for both the male and the female.

noun:
1. A person or thing that is epicene.
2. (Linguistics) An epicene word.

Musical Chairs

Lindsey had some really exciting news for us last night.  She got the part of Violet Beauregard in the school musical!  They’re doing Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  Just to refresh your memory, Violet’s the little girl who chews the gum, turns into a blueberry and the Umpa Lumpas have to roll her away.  The funny thing is that she came home, did her homework, went to dance, had dinner with all of us, and she never uttered a word about it!  She waited until she went to bed to tell us.  She is very excited, but she’s also a little upset because some of the girls at school are mad at her because they wanted the part.  I told her not to let it get to her.  Apparently it was a pretty big deal; she said that she was chosen out of 100 girls. They're performing the old version of Willy Wonka, not the new one with Johnny Depp.  I'm very excited to see it in May.

I have noticed lately that Logan is pretty much trying to think and say the exact opposite of what I think and say, about everything, but especially music.  He’s always been challenging, but this is a new development.  For example, Guns N’ Roses was on one of my CD’s in the car, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” to be specific, and Lindsey and I got excited. Lindsey loves the Rolling Stones and Guns N’ Roses, which bothered me at first until I realized that I remember the first time I heard Guns N' Roses, and I was 8 or 9.  My baby-sitter put it on and we danced in the living room, I was hooked at that point!  So anyway, Logan was like “This song sucks.”  First of all, I tell him not to say that something sucks, knowing that I am a hypocrite because I say “sucks” like 200 times a day.  Then I tell him that “Sweet Child O’ Mine” is in my Top 10 favorite songs of all time and if he doesn’t like it, he can just sit with the other nerds at the loser lunch table….that or walk home.  Then he carries on about how the song sucks even bigger than he said it did just 60 seconds before.  I tell him that Slash is awesome and that if he wants, I will sing him “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” when it’s over.  He laughs.  This friendly banter goes on for a while, and then I turn it up really loud and sing in my best Axl Rose voice.  I win, Logan loses.  He wanted to throw me out of the car.  Ha ha!

Of course, this little thing that he’s doing with my music is funny to me.  He is trying to disagree with me, trying to irritate me, and the only thing that he really does is make me think about my age—which always sucks— and my parents.  I was definitely influenced by my parents musically; I remember my dad being proud of me when he found out that I was the one who borrowed his ACDC and Led Zeppelin CD’s and never gave them back. But I also listened to stuff that they hated. I remember my mom turning down my music in my car because it was dirty and loud.  Of course, I played Lil John or something just to prove that I was an adult and I could play whatever I wanted.....how very adult of me, right?  Every time she touched the volume I’d say “No, no, no.  What do you think you’re doing?  When I was a little girl I tried to control the music and complained about what you had on and you said that I could play whatever I wanted in my car when I grew up, and that’s exactly what I’m doing.  Hands off!”  I have never seen my mom shut up so fast, seriously, because she remembered saying it.  One thing about my mom that holds true.....she sticks to those promises that she made with me, and then I rub it in her face!  It’ll be the same way with Logan, but it’s normal and comical to me.  As long as he doesn’t listen to Barry Manilow or something I’m sure we won’t fight too much.

Mom, do  you remember the 8 hour ride from Milwaukee to Indiana?  I tortured you!  I smoked and listened to rap, just to irritate you!  I'm sorry!  Whoever says that you're mature when you're 22 must be 22. 

Here’s the Word of the Day:

ersatz \AIR-sahts; UR-sats\, adjective:

Being a substitute or imitation, usually an inferior one.

We Ate the Apple.....

Note: This is being posted on Wednesday, not Tuesday.  It is just the middle of the night and the timer is wrong for some reason. 

I saw a bumper sticker yesterday that said “Women who behave rarely make history.”  I got to thinking about this sticker and whether or not it holds any truth…..it definitely does.  Think about all of the women who are famous and who made a difference in the world—they were definitely not following the rules.  Although it’s funny, they weren’t doing anything that men weren’t doing.  Men have behaved badly since the beginning of time and just because Eve screwed up before Adam did; we’re the ones who got burned at the stake and were forced to wear Scarlet letters.  I’m half kidding; but seriously, will we ever live down the fact that Eve messed up so badly?  No!  It’s like the ultimate man-card. 

Woman: “I don’t see why I have to do the dishes every night.”

Man: “I guess you should have thought about that before you disobeyed God.”

Woman: “Well do you think that maybe I could vote for the president too?”

Man: “I don’t know, last time you made a decision you screwed up pretty badly.  You remember the apple incident.”

Woman: “Maybe we should stop for directions.”

Man: “Maybe not.  You’re not the best judge of character.  You did listen to Satan.”

Woman: “Do these jeans make my butt look big?”

Man: “It would still be perfect if you wouldn’t have eaten the apple.”

And what we were doing when we were “misbehaving” doesn’t even touch the men.  There was a time when men had to commit mass genocide to make the history books and all we had to do was have sex with someone, so I’d say that the scale has been tipped unfairly throughout history.  Wait, maybe not much has changed.  Monica Lewinski did design a line of handbags simply because she “didn’t have sexual relations” with Clinton.

I started thinking even deeper. (What’s wrong with me?  All because of a damn bumper sticker?  Drive, Britt, drive.)  If I had lived 200 years ago would I have behaved?  Hell no.  Would I have been as strong and opinionated as I am now?  I hope so.  If I would have been forced to sit at the back of the bus, would I have?  Uh, I hope that I would have grabbed a pole and clung to dear life.  Would I have worn an A?  I’d spit in some dude’s face if he tried pinning that crap on me.  Of course, it’s easy for me to say this now because of the time we live in.  I’m not a pioneer; never will be.  But I hope that I would have been so bold.

I have a confession to make.  A few days ago I posted about how good girls want the bad boys.  I think I have to kick myself now and say that I am still guilty of this apparently natural thing that girls do….pick the bad boy.  I was talking to my bro-in-law today about “Lost” and I said that I hated Sawyer with Juliette; I preferred him with Kate.  For those of you non-Losties, he’s like the epitome of a bad boy.  He’s hot, and he’s the bad boy that occasionally shows a redeeming quality, the bait.  As soon as he throws it into the water, it’s over.  You’re hooked like a fish.  My brother-in-law said “It doesn’t really surprise me that you didn’t like him with Juliette because he was a good guy when he was with her.”  I was like “OUCH!  You’re right!”  I didn’t even realize that that’s why I liked him less.  Before I knew it, Bill and I were in a discussion about girls liking bad boys, how gorillas are the same way, and how it’s instinctual—you get it.  It was a deep conversation.  We were talking about how the problem is that women want this bad boy with the idea that they will change them, and then once they change them, they aren’t happy anymore because the thing that they were attracted to in the first place, the bad-ness, is gone.  I don’t know.  What do you think?  Comments!  Comments! 

By the way, my brother-in-law made a joke about Eve eating the apple.  See????

Here’s a picture of Sawyer…….

Here’s the Word of the Day:

tan·ta·lize

[tan-tl-ahyz]

–verb (used with object), -lized, -liz·ing.

to torment with, or as if with, the sight of something desired but out of reach; tease by arousing expectations that are repeatedly disappointed.