Good News/Bad News..

Good: Finally found Hubby some gray crew socks. Had checked Kohls and Target over the weekend and they had nada. Super Walmart had many to choose from. We'll see if this brand lasts a little longer than the last type I bought for him.

Bad: Super Walmart didn't have Hubby's favorite snack, Twisted Cheetos, in stock. This made the 3rd place I've looked and found none to be had. Was there some big Twisted convention that we missed out on? Is a cheeto blizzard coming through and folks are stocking up? So, I asked the man that was re-stocking all the FritoLay products...and get this...

They've been discontinued!
Aw Man...bummer...because well, they are also one of my favorite snacks too! (you really didn't think I'd be this bummed if it were say, Pork rinds that had been discontinued did you?)

Now...off to break the news to Hubby. I'm wondering if his friend, Andy still works for Frito Lay? If he does...then we'll be letting him know about our disapproval with this change...Bad Frito Lay...Bad!!!!

Playing Favorites

This week's blog challenge looks easy enough I might be able to complete it.
10Favorites

1. Color: Green
2. Food: Chocolate, d'uh
3. Month:October
4. Song: All You Need is Love
5. Movie: Love Actually
6. Sport: I am so not into sports. Neither participating or spectating.
7. Season: Fall
8. Day of the Week: Friday
9. Ice Cream Flavor: Chocolate
10. Time of Day: the morning (go ahead, and hate me, yes, I'm a morning person)

9 Currents

1. Mood: Happy
2. Clothes: my mom uniform: jeans, tshirt, fleece vest
3. Taste: ?coffee breath
4. Desktop: The Things at DisneyWorld with Mike and Sully (Feb. 05)
5. Toenail Color: nada. Not into the whole polish look
6. Time: 9:40 am
7. Surroundings: Family room, watching the View
8. Thoughts: Is Thing Two getting hungry (I found his breakfast pretty much untouched), Will my jacket be dry before I have to go to work (it was dirtier than my van was, long overdue to be washed)
9. Wonderings: At my age, thoughts and wonderings sort of all blend together. Will people think I'm very lame with my answers to this meme?

8 Firsts

1. Best Friend: Heidi C. (and yes, I still consider her a great friend)
2. Kiss: Must not have been very memorable, still can't remember who or when
3. Screen Name: Marty (which is so odd because I hate that as a knickname for Martha)
4. Pet: Max our schnauzer
5. Piercing: My ears (and that's the only pierced part and I rarely wear earings).
6. Crush: Tom Cruise (I'm talking the young cute, non freaky one from Top Gun and Risky Business)
7. Computer: Don't remember the name or the brand but Hubby deemed it pathetic when he saw it when we started dating back in ?94)
8. Home Location: I'm assuming not an apartment rental? Well, I guess that would be our townhouse in VA.

7 Lasts

1. Cigarette: never even had a first (with no plans to change this)
2. Drink: Coffee (Creme Brulee, of course)
3. Kiss: Thing Two as he marched off to school (probably with tummy rumbling)
4. Movie seen at the theater: Casino Royale with Hubby (a date no less!)
5. Phone Call: Kelly N.
6. CD played: Nora Jones Feels like Home
7. Gift received: Christmas presents (we skip the whole Valentines experience)

6 Have You Evers

1. Dated One Of Your Best Friends: Well, I did marry my best friend. But no, haven't dated someone who was a friend first
2. Broken the Law: A speeding ticket some 20 years ago.
3. Been Arrested: Nope
4. Skinny Dipped: Um, maybe? :)
5. Been on TV: Don't think so.
6. Kissed Someone You Didn't Know: Not that I remember.

5 Things

1. You've Eaten Today: Bagel and cream cheese, (and since it is still early, that's about it so far).
2. You've Done Today: Showered, made breakfast, delivered Things to school, one load of laundry, disassembled the Things Fort in the basement
3. You Can Hear Right Now: The dryer buzzing, the chatter of The View, that little voice saying I really should vacuum, and that's about it.
4. You Can't Live Without: My family, my friends, TiVo, High Speed Internet and a climate controlled environment.
5. You Do When You're Bored: boredom is not allowed or tolerated here in the House of Chang and that's my story and I'm sticking to it. But seriously, procrastinate, channel surf, tap my toes, doodle and blob-blogging (just click on random blogs and play voyeur into their lives).

4 places you've been today

1. Potty
2. School
3. the Basement
4. the kitchen

3 people you can tell anything to

1. Hubby
2. Sherri R.
3. Terri K.

2 Choices:

1. Black or White: black
2. 2. Hot or Cold: Hot

1 thing you wanna do before you die: Visit Italy and this time take the Gondola ride!

Garfield: A Tale of 2 Kitties

At least our boys have declared this movie a two thumbs (or would it be paws?) up.

I requested it from our Blockbuster Home delivery service. And since it arrived, we've watched it...well, if I tell you the exact number you will realize what TV junkies we all are, and what a limited social life we really have. Suffice to say, it has been watched so much that they are quoting lines from it (Mi Castle es su castle).

But the best outcome? Thing 1, our perpetual picky eater announced today he wants to try lasagna. Like he said, if Garfield likes it, it must be good. And if he ends up liking it, well, I too will have to give this movie the Martha seal of approval!

About this picture: I know this picture has nothing to do with the topic I've blogged about, but it was from last week and I realized I forgot to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Welcome to the Year of the Pig!

Snowy Saturday

They warned us. But, I was living in denial. I was certain they were just bored after getting to report on warming trends, clear skies, snow less days for a week or so. Nope, they were right. We woke up to about 3 inches of snow on the ground. Right now, it looks like the storm has passed us and this is the most we'll see. And really, after all we've had this winter, 3 inches is no big deal.

But it is a big deal in that I've been a very bad Martha these days. My pantry is about 2 days beyond pathetic. Hubby is in need of some new britches that I promised to pick up for him. I've got checks to deposit and library books to return. Oh, and the toilet paper situation is reaching critical point of being extinct.

In a nutshell, it is not a good day to just stay home and enjoy the weather. I have got places to go and errands to run. This weather is not helping one bit.

Come on Sunshine, get out there and melt this stuff away...

I must be feeling better...

I'm cranky as all get out! I was feeling rather poorly over the weekend. So bad that on Monday I hauled my hiney into the doctor's office to get things checked out. Turns out I have 3 cysts down there. Yeah, us Martha's we tend to overachieve. One just wouldn't have been enough...

I've not heard the final report but since the sonographer didn't excuse herself from the room and go find a doctor, I'm confident it should be ok. Being a nurse, you get pretty good at reading the body language of the provider.

And, although the Things know all the correct names for their parts, when it comes to girl parts, we've pretty much kept them in the dark. We just told them that Mom's tummy hurt. They didn't need to know more than that.

So on Monday night, Thing Two announced that he had caught my sickness and could he please borrow the heating pad. Sure enough, he put it "down there" and announced it felt much better. Oh yeah, I'm sure it did. Wink wink

Then last night, Hubby was feeling a bit nauseated. I doubt it was my cooking because I hadn't fed him yet. But before I knew it, Thing Two had the problem diagnosed "I bet he caught your sickness mom".

Um...lets hope not, or else we have a whole lot more to worry about than Mommy's little ole cysts!

I should be...

cleaning the kitchen, doing 2,000 loads of laundry, scrubbing a bathroom (or two or four), mopping a kitchen floor, forcing the Things to be picking up the Lego explosion here in the basement, working on pulling together tax paperwork, paying bills, vacuuming, making a menu for next week, balancing the check book, cleaning the craft room, making the beds, dusting the family room.

Well...seriously, the list is endless and yet here I sit. Sipping my coffee, waiting for the morning sinus congestion to move on out, hoping that there is some motivation to be had.

Fear not, it will get done (maybe not all of it, but enough to keep up the appearance of having my act together) by at least tomorrow. That's when we have our gathering of hens, convening of the neighborhood coven, or the Sorority of Sister Wives. We say we're gonna scrapbook or craft...but as usual I think we're just gonna chat, gossip and analyze Big Love as if it really is happening next door (well, the new neighbor does wear her hair in a braid a lot...)

To further prolong my procrastination efforts, here's a couple pics from this week here at the House of Chang...

TGIF

And, we're looking forward to a 4 day weekend. Yes!!!!
It's been a long week. Thing Two is going through one of his episodic spells of not liking school. He does it about twice a year and his protest is so dramatic and convincing that initially I'm certain something is causing his dislike for school. There has to be a reason why my sweet baby hates school: the teacher is evil, the bully has found him, he's got some undiagnosed learning disability. Whatever...my mind races with reasons for what is causing the meltdown. But, this time, I'm seeing the pattern and realizing he's just in a funk and not wanting to do his job. We've all been there and realize this too shall pass. It still makes my job as Mom that much harder.

But, we made it to Friday and that is worth noting. Yep, even at 7 he appreciates the gift that is called Friday!

Perplexing Thoughts

• Club Penguin: what is it about this website that has both Things not only mesmerized but on their best behavior for fear I'll get mad and cancel their membership? They have spent the better part of the weekend playing games, earning points and oh no...buying outfits for their characters. I don't get it: it is just an online game site. Oh well, the plus side is they've played nicely with each other and I've got a fresh currency to encourage continued cooperation.
• Big Love: What is it about this show that has me unable to turn it off? I started watching it last weekend and am just about half way through Season 1. Yeah, that's a lot of TV watching. On one level, I'm totally disgusted by the idea. Like Hubby said "it is wrong on SO many levels". But, can I walk away and return the DVDs without watching the entire stinking' show? No. And the more I watch the more questions I have: what is the benefit of multiple wives? All I see is headache and confusion. Does it really occur beyond the compound style of polygamy that you hear about on the news from time to time. Could it really be possible that polygamists live within a regular community. I really must get a life when it comes to being obsessed by this show.

And well, that about sums up our weekend. Pretty exciting family that we are...boys obsessed by penguins, mom obsessed by polygamy and Hubby...well, he worked half the night and spent the day in a sleep deprived fog. He was too tired to even go for a motorcycle ride. And since his motorcycle is his obsession, that is pretty darn tired.

Telephone Training

Thing One and a couple of his classmates have discovered this place called Club Penguin. As best I can figure out, it is sort of like a "my space" for the very young. They have a character that can visit various areas and they can invite each other to race and play other online games. Safety is maintained by limiting the messages that can be sent to pre-written basic responses. I'm not real excited to see my baby moving toward this pre-teen world of chatting online, but he seems to enjoy it.

The other night a classmate called and asked for Patrick to sign on. We forgot to find out this friend's user id, so I suggested he call T back. I dialed the number and handed the phone to Thing One. He became alarmed and said "Mom, it is making some weird noise". I listened and said "Silly, that's the other phone ringing!".

Wondering what he'll think when he hears a busy signal?

And yes, the picture taken below is of Thing One. He is my less cooperative child when it comes to taking his picture. But, I've figured a way around that. I put the zoom lens on the camera, and just stand off to the side and wait to snap his picture when he forgets I'm there. It is why "studio" shots never turn out of him. But, man I do love catching him choosing Joy! Itr shows the real side of his personality. Perpetually happy (well, except when things aren't going his way).

Firsts: another blog challenge.

This week's blog challenge is sort of long. I was going to skip it completely as these types of lists aren't really my thing. But then I thought...well, maybe I"ll try a couple of them. So, here I am tweaking assignments to suit my needs. That is so very Martha, wouldn't you agree?

Firsts, When is the first time you...

fell in love ? ...believe it or not, with Hubby. Sure, I'd had boyfriends before him, even ones I thought I was serious about. But, when he came along I realized, this is real love. And as sappy as this sounds, that love continues to grow and grow. (yeah, kiss up I know, Valentine's Day is coming!)

lost someone close to you?...I'm guessing it would be my paternal grandfather. He passed away after a relatively short battle with cancer (compared to my mom's marathon battle). I was probably in Jr. High. I was too young to appreciate the serious nature of it all but in hindsight I realize that Grandpa had a wicked sense of humor that complimented my Grandmother's more serious nature very nicely. With his passing, well, it changed so many things, ya know?

drank alcohol?...well, I'm pretty sure I got to sip some wine/champagne with the folks but really drinking didn't start until college. And even then, I was slow to warm up to the entire concept of alcohol.

went to the hospital?...hm, let's see to work or to seek treatment? Hospitalized only to have babies but spent way too many hours working in them and visiting family.

lost a pet?....Maxwell von Lautenbach (our schnauzer named after my other grandma) got run over by a car when we were still living in GA. So, I must have been no older than 5th grade. I remember my mom, who was SO not the dog person in the family, cried the most.

smoked a cigarette?...nerd that I am, never.

broke a bone?....June 1999, one just wasn't enough, decided to go for multiple breaks in my right foot while 32 weeks pregnant with Thing Two. Yeah, that was a summer I'll never forget.

got a job?...college. Washing dishes at the school cafeteria.

Met someone famous?...The summer I worked as a waitress at the hotel where all the big stars stay during Frontier Days. That summer I had to inform Mr. Strait we did not have his favorite flavor of preserves to put on his English muffin, Mr. Pride sang Happy Birthday to me and I met some new fella named Chris LeDoux. Other brushes with famous folk came as young as age 4 when my parents befriended another young couple who would later go on to write many parenting books (Dr. Lehman, he writes a lot about birth order). Yeah, my folks knew him back before he knew anything about kids (according to my slightly less successful father).

dyed your hair?...late 20s. The gray just go to be too much. Now I just have to color it more often as the gray is determined to win the battle.

snuck out the house?....so you think you know my answer to this one, eh? Nerd that I am. Well, I"ll have you know, in the Summer of '86 I snuck out quite a few times. Oh no, wait that was I snuck back into the house because I didn't want to walk up my folks. When Dad noticed the broken screen on the basement bedroom window he said "next time, just use the damn door! That's my dad, ever the practical one.

got your own digital camera?....November 2002. Hubby had one even before that but I was determined to stick with film. Sheesh, I look back and think what took me so long to embrace new stuff? Now I can't imagine heading out without my digital camera in tow (a Nikon D50).

how old are you now?...41 (I think...I'm starting to lose track of such trivial matters as age).

Warming Trend

Yahoo...let the thaw begin. For the past week or so, I've done without my boots. And today, I was even able to head out without my winter coat. Yes, it is warming up with even warmer days on the future forecast. THIS is how CO winters are supposed to be: snow on Thursday, and by Saturday we're out soaking up the sunshine.

Today, we all found time for our happy pursuits. Hubby got to ride his motorcycle this morning. The boys went sledding and Thing Two finished decorating his Valentine mailbox for school. I took off for the library late this afternoon and spent close to an hour just wandering around. I've picked up 3 books and my fingers are crossed that at least one of them will capture my interest. I've been such a picky reader lately that next to nothing appeals to me or sustains my interest long enough to finish the book.

But, now with the sun finally warming us a bit, perhaps it will also melt away my reading blahs. We shall see...

A matter of preference

This morning, I woke up earlier than my body was ready. So, after Hubby woke up, I went back to bed for a couple more hours of sleep.

After I got up for the second time that day, Thing Two asks me why I took a nap. I explained to him, I wasn't feeling so good this morning so that rather than risk throwing up, I thought I'd take a nap in hopes that I would wake up feeling better (which I did).

He thought for just that short pause he's famous for, before he said "I'd rather have thrown up than take a nap during the day!"

Yep, a matter of preference indeed. And it explains why he quit taking naps way too early in my opinion. He really hates them!

A Slow Week

Thus, not much happening worth blogging about.

I could blog about Thing Two's teeth trouble. He's double parked on the front row. Yep, that top permanent tooth is starting to drop down while the baby tooth is firmly in place in the back row. We're off to the dentist next week. He thinks just for a cleaning, but I'm thinking a little assistance may be needed to tow out that tooth with the expired tags.

I could blog about Thing One who this week, took his first round of state mandated tests. Out here, we call them CSAPs and this one was in reading. He'll do a math, and I think a writing one later on in the Spring. He thought it was lots of fun. Why? Because the kid loves to read AND they had no homework because of the testing. And although I view homework as a "necessary evil" I must admit, it has been a quiet week without a packet of homework needing our attention. Yep, I could get used to a homework free way of life.

I could blog about how exciting it was to note that he was taking this test with next to no modifications or accomodations. Given where he started, well, he's done a heck of lot of catching up to get to this point. Way to go, son, we're proud of ya!

I could blog about the weather. Snow and cold. Big surprise there, eh? Does this make the 7th straight week of fresh falling snow or the 8th? I've lost track. SSDD: Same Snow, different day.

I could blog about Grey's Anatomy. But, I"ve not watched it yet (will wait until it is completely TiVo'd so I can skip the commercials). I could blog about this week's episode of House, MD. But, we had technical TiVo difficulties and thus can only comment on the first 18 minutes. Grrrrrrrr...I fear I've become too dependent on the technology.

I could blog about...nah, I'm all blogged out...