Happy Halloween!

Planning the assault..........

"This is my sister, (her pumpkin is on the right) angry with me. And this is me, laughing at her!"

Truer words were never spoken!

My Stupid Savings Book

You will rarely see me do this, but here goes:

Buy This Book.

You know my stupid sale coupon book? A lot of you have asked me how to get it, so here's your chance to get the new one at free shipping. Anywhere you live, there is likely a book for you. I had and loved it in SC, and I am getting one for my MIL in MI for Christmas.

Even being broke and frugal, we have saved an enormous amount of money in the past year with this book, and had coupons to share. It's one of those things that is a win win situation. The book costs 37.00, but you can make that up in ONE VISIT to the zoo, or the gas station, a restaurant, or the grocery stores. Yes, folks. Free gas. Free food.

Among the places where we have actually used these coupons have been Albertson's, Safeway, Northwest Trek, PDZA, Mandolin Cafe, (oh lord help me, McDonalds), the movie theater, Tully's, Shell gas, Elephant Car wash. Chevy's, The Glass Museum, Washington State History Museum, Tacoma Children's Museum, and so many other little places. That doesn't include the coupons we gave away to our friends to places like Taco Del Mar, REI and
Seattle Home Show. It just goes on and on.

Anyway, if you decide you want one (free shipping), please click this link: http://friends.entertainment.com/r/cf530fc0b8d010298b39 because if you do buy one, I get to get a nice gift card.

See? Easy Peasy! Shameless endorsement, but I have successfully encouraged so many people buy this book over the years just because I wanted them to have the wonderful savings, that it doesn't bother me at all potentially to get something in return for being Entertainment's unofficial salesman.

Never Pay Full Price. EVER.

Where, oh where could my camera be??

I have much playdate cuteness!

But I can't find my camera! Do you know where I put it?

The card filled up at the table during storytime, and I put it somewhere safe.

Oy. Help me!

Update:

RING RING

"SchnAAY!"

"Francais! Your camera is in the side pocket of the green chair!"

"OMG!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU ARE SOOOOOOOOOO SEXAyYYYYYYYYY!"

...
...
...
"How was class today?"

"What class?"

"Isn't it Saturday?"

"OH SHIT! FAUX PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSS!"

[oops sorry Jesse! We had people spending the night and I totally forgot!]

Playdate Pictures!

Yup, it's in retrograde

I woke up to G screaming "No, you're getting poop on the walls!" When I stumbled bleary-eyed into N's room, it was indeed on the walls, but on the floors, toybox and bedding as well. She'd attempted to change a diaper, but got more than she bargained for. D escaped and well, there you go. Pre-coffee, two loads of laundry. Yum.

We have phones through comcast as well. I hosted a bigantous playdate and the frakking phone service was out most of the morning. I called them on my flagging-battery cell phone , and got a generic "lapse of Service in your area" message.

WELL THAT'S JUST SWEET!

Whilst entertaining the first guests, my phone rang. "Yay" I thought, "It's working again!" Ah, but my joy was short lived when it was the elementary school on the phone. They had a doggie there, one who was a "medium sized, German Shepherd mix, escape artist with one milky eye."

"The kids are saying it's G's dog." the secretary said.

"How would they know? "

"They say they know G's dog. I don't know. Is your dog there?" I checked, and well no, Presleydog was indeed not in the yard, and his radio collar was tidily inside, on the window sill, not on his neck. Sigh.

I asked my extra Mommies to watch the kids while I raced the ten minutes to the school. The teacher who'd trapped the dog said a sensible girl in her class (whose name I recognized) ID'd him. How he would travel that far, I didn't know. I met the dog. Not our dog. Grr. Same body, way different head.

So I go BACK home, and as I come in the front door, Presleydog came up the back stairs. Yes. he did.

We went on to have a fun Halloween playdate, with much cuteness, but oh goodness.

Speaking of retrograde, my friend got a speeding ticket on I5 as well. Seriously. 65 in a 60 zone. Shouldn't we citizens of Pugetopolis rejoice when I5 is moving along at 65? Really? Gawd.

Bennies, Baby

Among the myriad other benefits of my MIL's visit is that she brought scads of baby pix of D, err, I mean P-Daddy as a baby. The digital camera just isn't gonna do a good justice to the copies, so I finally hooked up our boss scanner that's been hiding underneath the desk for quite some time.

Quite. Some. Time.

It's screamin' fast and I foresee much obnoxiousness on my part now that I have a scanner once again.

She's leaving tomorrow and we are very sad.

I'm tired.

I really adore my MIL. I do.

But the only person I've ever wanted in myhome this long was P-Daddy. She's adorable, and she is loving, and bends over backwards to ....just be. She's awesome, affirming, supportive, hard-working and omigosh, such a good Grandma to the kids.

It's just the houseguest thing. If we lived closer, she could come over any time she wanted, and we wouldn't feel the need for having marathon visits. I miss knitting night. I miss hanging with my extended homies. I need to just stare.

But oy, then I'd have to do my own laundry! :p

For those of you who know my kids personally, this is how she effects them:

D thinks he owns her. Schnaybaby thinks she is his gramma, too, which is right in line with being Cousin Schnaybaby. G includes Gramma into all her plans, wants to make jewelry with her, shares her coins with her and wants to work Halloween plans around her. She's dragged Gramma all over Washington showing her The Things Gramma Must See. N has given up his bed (voluntarily; we don't play that way here) to her and wants her to come back anytime, and she can sleep in his bed again.

So, one can not begrudge one's children their web. Not one bit.

And did I mention she's a laundry machine?

150 things-- I've done the ones in bold

Hijaked from ~A~ because I don't have time to update much with the MIL here. This was memeasy!

Things I have done (in bold):

1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candle lit bath with someone
8. Said “I love you” and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise.
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking .
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day.
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was really drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe.
47. Taken a road-trip.
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving (snorkelling, but sipped off the tanks)
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie.
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest (it was actually my poodle, but I made it!)
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo.
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert (space shuttle science program when I was a tween)
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage.
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music.
87. Eaten shark
88. Eaten Fugu (my turn to say huh?)
89. Had a one night stand
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents
94. Been on a cruise ship
95. Spoken more than one language fluently
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Ridden a bike
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi.
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach (No just stomped on them![I say this counts])
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident.
150. Saved someone’s life

Homeschooling is Sweet

Little Man is learning how to write.

Homeschooling at the Art Museum

Today we met a bunch of wonderful mothers from around Washington as we gathered at the Tacoma Art Museum. It was overrun with public school children, but the moms did manage to get in snippets of getting-to-know-you conversations in some stolen moments, while the children had a BLAST creating their own masterpieces.

Generations

it Matters

the extra voice at the table
the couch with an extra blanket and a curled up lap
more shoes at the entrance

living on "Grandma rules," which she never abuses
and the children have yet to figure out
despite the pounds of licorice

the layers of the generations
the connection
the tether

not my mother, but one of my children's

it is a privilege
to have her here

Garden shift change

G is a gardening wonder. Sometimes I just adore watching the years we've put into her come bubbling out. She's so into gardening with us. We took out the summering plants to compost and she helped weed the gardens and put in the winter green plugs.

Taking out summering plants included harvesting the remaining tomatoes, potatoes, sunflower heads and green beans. Ever pulled up and composted sunflower stalks? That was her job, by choice.

N and G both put in the greens plugs and checked on our baby winter squash. I hope we get a winter garden out of this!

5/28/2007

It's raining babies.

I am so happy not to have to bear them myself, but to be able to finally offer support instead.

A La Familia

G, who is becoming such a girl. A clever, funny person-girl!

Any family resemblance here?
It amazes me how little kids just know who is there to nurture them. D knew Gramma Rose was here for him, and although he'd never met her, he wasted no time warming up to her. That was Gramma, and that was that.

Make fun of ~L Day!

Intactivist

INTACTIVIST 80% Pro-Intact, 72% Foreskin Knowledgeable

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My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 99% on Pro-Intact You scored higher than 99% on Knowledgeable

Link: The Foreskin Test written by TLCTugger on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Big Boy Toys

N discovering gas-powered, radio control toys at Penrose State Park. These two were very indulgent and shared their passion about their hobby with a very inquisitive boy. N has a few RCs, but nothing like these!

I think I am a failure as a wife

If I were more [X] or less [Y], then he would be happier and more the mellow fellow I know him to be inside.

Would you like to see extreme baby cuteness?

Check this little dude out! His name is Boston.

It's been a good week for friends

Got my Nikayness twice. Seeing Schnaygirl again, who now has a port in her arm. Chickngirl came over for a Vortex-fest.
Saw all my homies yesterday. Wait.. cept Daniela who is in Brasil... but all the local homies. Yes. Saw them yesterday.

That is all.

Holes

This is where our anniversary tree will go. We don't have it yet, but hey we're getting there. Our favorite place was out of stock! Ack!

Exhibit Two

See trackback in link, but I think this looks nicely like the villagers beginning to dig a foundation for their satellite array.