Rain, Baths and Mud

It rained! It rained. We got over 3 inches of rain here, only .002 inches at Lake O. Still, the boys loved it here...

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Not sure if you can see the rain coming down in the pictures but it is raining as they are playing. My thought process was "free bath".

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And then they discovered the mud puddles. Sigh. End of the 'free bath'. It stopped raining and mom said yes to mud puddle jumping.

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Monkey see, monkey do:

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Tater just loves digging and building in mud:

The boys ended up getting sprayed by the hose before being allowed in the house. It was a fun and they loved it.

Hair Cut!

I couldn't believe it. Tot finally sat nicely and got his hair cut. It took bribing and picking from Tater and myself... but he did it!!! She did the best she could while he kept putting his hands up and hiding his ears and more. Tater? He was perfect. Didn't move until she told him to and was a sweetheart. One of the women in the barbershop wanted to smooch on him. Here are some pictures of the boys with their new haircuts!

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No fun if you can't act up some...

Scrapbooking and Linky Love

My sister, Tink, loves to scrapbook... she is even involved in some on-line stuff where she submits her designs. Really cool... but she has never offered gifts for linking to her like Jody at Iowa Geek. That's right, go look at what this woman can do. If you like scrapbooking, you might enjoy using her ideas for yourself. Very cool. Go on... take a peak.

Bike Riding Fun

Seems my boys like to compete. It's going to be a long haul for me on this one. Even something as simple as bike riding. Geeze.

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Of course, the longer bike with the bigger kids seems to get in the lead...

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But Tater had to turn around and bike back to enjoy the flowers we found:

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We found a tiny toad as well... but the camera wouldn't focus on it. It was the size of my finger nail. Means the mosquitos will be out in great force now. Oh... they are out... just means it more of them. Ugh.

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

My Resume

1. My first job was working in an Orange Juice factory, but I got canned. I couldn't concentrate.

2. Then I worked in the woods as a Lumberjack, but I just couldn't hack it, so they gave me the axe.

3. After that, I tried to be a Tailor, but I just wasn't suited for it - mainly because it was a sew-sew job.

4. Next, I tried working in a Muffler Factory, but that was too exhausting.

5. Then, I tried to be a Chef - figured it would add a little spice to my life, but I just didn't have the thyme.

6. I attempted to be a Deli Worker, but any way I sliced it I couldn't cut the mustard.

7. My best job was a Musician, but eventually I found I wasn't noteworthy.

8. I studied a long time to become a Doctor, but I didn't have any patience.

9. Next, was a job in a Shoe Factory. I tried but I just didn't fit in.

10. I became a Professional Fisherman, but discovered that I couldn't live on my net income.

11. I managed to get a good job working for a Pool Maintenance Company, but the work was just too draining.

12. So then I got a job in a Workout Center , but they said I wasn't fit for the job.

13. After many years of trying to find steady work! I finally got a job as a Historian - until I realized there was no future in it.

14. My last job was working in Starbucks, but I had to quit because it was always the same old grind.

SO, I TRIED RETIREMENT AND FOUND THAT I'M PERFECT FOR THE JOB!

And The Caption Is???

I put out this picture a few days ago... and laughed so hard at the captions...

Man, Mom and Dad are wearing me out!!!!!! (from Uncle Bobby)
Walk like an Egyptian! (from Marie)
TKO? (from the Gray Monk)
what did you do knock him out with that big horseshoe? (from Sticks)

Thanks for the help! They all made me laugh...

The Things We Do For Our Children

It amazes me what I will do for my children. Some days I think I must have lost w.a.y too many brain cells when developing these kids in my body and birthing them. Two... I have constructed two of these p.i.t.a. (Pain in the arse) construction paper R2D2 mail boxes.

Which do NOTHING but sit there. I don't feel like trying to adjust them to make it really open. They can squish the darn things if they want... but I'm through for now.

Why Does It Always Happen...

while I'm on the phone??? Now this happened a couple of days ago, so it is not verbatim. I was talking to Richmond on the phone while trying to get the kids ready to go. As usual I was reminding them to go the bathroom before we leave. And this is what Richmond hears:

Mom: Boys, you need to go pee before we leave.
Boys: **running in the background to the same bathroom and screaming**
Mom: Boys, you are not to Pee on each other!!!

Mom: uhhhh, Richmond...
Richmond: **laughter**

Yaa... Talking to Sticks I yell at Tot to stop licking the toilet and talking to Richmond I have to remind the kids not to pee on each other. Luckily I wasn't on the phone when I had to remind Tot to get his head out of the toilet.

Cadaver Costs?

h/t Michele

$4375.00The Cadaver Calculator - Find out how much your body is worth

Mingle² - Online Dating

Blog Rating

Found this 'Blog rating' over at Decrepit Old Fool. I found it funny that I got this rating:

Mingle² - Online Dating

It was PG because I had the word h.ll twice and dangerous once. Notice the dot in hell. OOps, now I have it three times. GRIN. You should have seen my face when I put in Tink's blog and it was rated G. G!!! My sister??? My blog child??? A safer blog than mine??? Oh well.

Wow, Another Child Answers

Seems my 'adult' children are just full of surprises. Matthew has answered the meme as well! In fact, I loved this one:

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Honey Nut Cheerios

In our house, those are known as Daddy Os. So much so, that I put that on the grocery list I give to my hubby. I love it when one of the kids see the commercial and say something about Daddy Os. Must be a male thing. GRIN

Go on over and take a peak. He put his in pages about himself, so no commenting available. But you can always send an email or comment on one of his other posts. Enjoy!

More Emails to Marines and You Might Get a Flag

Seems that more emails got sent to RCT-6. Yipeeee!!! In fact, over at Blackfive, it is said:

The Marines he's been passing them out to are very pleased. They may not have time to write back, of course, but he wanted you to know it's making a difference to them.

So much of a difference, in fact, that the RCT wants to do a little something to celebrate. They've decided to send a gift to the 6,000th person to email them.

They'll fly an American flag at RCT-6 HQ, and them mail it to you. The flags will come with a certificate showing your name and the date on which it was flown. It's the Regimental Combat Team's way of showing you how much they appreciate all the support that has suddenly been flowing their way.

If they get 10,000 emails, they'll do it again for the 10,000th. And if they someday get 20,000 -- it's hard to say how many emails might eventually show up over time -- they will do it yet again.

Wow. That is wonderful that more people are emailing them. Please, please keep sending an email or two each day. Or sit down and write a bunch..

The e-mail address for the campaign is rct-6lettersfromh AT gcemnf-wiraq DOT usmc DOT mil and they have their own blog site!

Sleep Time

Here is the little bugger sleeping on the floor. He is driving me nuts. I was trying to come up with a good caption, but can't think of one. Any ideas?

She Did It!

Some days even my 'adult' children surprise me. Sticks actually got the meme done in record time. Go take a peak and give her a hard time.

Asthma

After 4 vials of blood, it seems that Tot is not allergic to dog dander, cat dander and a whole host of other pollens and the like. He still has asthma. Since I wanted to be more aware of what could set off an attack... I have seen it happen when he is sick. When I got carried away with the Febreeze and once when he was running around like crazy for hours. Now I have found a couple of places that make me see that I am not insane and those things really could have sparked an attack...

From Asthma and Children I found:

What are asthma triggers?

Asthma triggers are factors that start asthma symptoms or an asthma attack by irritating the airways or worsening the inflammation in the airways. These triggers can provoke attacks in individuals who already have a tendency to asthma, but they are not necessarily part of the cause of that tendency. The following triggers can cause asthma symptoms or start an asthma attack:

* infections, usually those caused by a virus (e.g. colds or flu)
* allergens, most commonly from house dust mites, pets or pollen
* play and exercise, especially in cold weather
* emotions, such as excitement, fear or anger
* irritants, such as air pollution
* smoking – the parents of asthmatic children should avoid smoking
* changes in the weather (e.g. a cold spell)
* food allergens, such as peanuts (sensitised or allergic children can have a very severe allergic reaction); more rarely, food additives such as tartrazine (an artificial food colouring) may also act as triggers.
* certain medications – some children may be allergic to some drugs (e.g. aspirin).

I liked the one about "emotions, such as excitement, fear or anger"... my son that has the temper tantrums.

From the University of Maryland I found more on what are the triggers that can cause an asthma attack. Nice table layout that I can't get to work in this post. Go check it out at the link above.

Seems I am going to have an interesting couple of years. i know that colds can bring it on... and that if I use a lot of Febreeze, it will happen. Only once has it happened from too much exercise. It won't happen again.

Always entertaining at my household.

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

There is great humor all over the place:

Physics Geek has a great picture of Gas prices

Pamibe found a cool link. I watched it twice.

Believe it or not... there is a web called "I Fart, She Farts, He Farted..."

And some oldie but goodie... thinking about my sons...

There was a boy who had to use an outhouse and he hated it sooo bad. One day it started to rain really hard and it got the bank all slippery and wet so he decided to push it off. He did it and later that night his father asked him if he pushed off the outhouse.

He said: "Yes."

His father told his son to come with him to get his whipping.

The boy said: "George Washington didn't get in trouble when he chopped down the cherry tree because he was honest."

The boys father said: "but George Washingtons father wasn't in the cherry tree when he chopped it down."

More Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

As a crowded airliner is about to take off, the peace is shattered by a 5-year-old boy who picks that moment to throw a wild temper tantrum. No matter what his frustrated, embarrassed mother does to try to calm him down, the boy continues to scream furiously and kick the seats around him.

Suddenly, from the rear of the plane, an elderly man in the uniform of an Air Force General is seen slowly walking forward up the aisle. Stopping the flustered mother with an upraised hand, the white-haired, courtly, soft-spoken General leans down and, motioning toward his chest, whispers something into the boy's ear.

Instantly, the boy calms down, gently takes his mother's hand, and quietly fastens his seat belt. All the other passengers burst into spontaneous applause.

As the General slowly makes his way back to his seat, one of the cabin attendants touches his sleeve. "Excuse me, General," she asks quietly, "but could I ask you what magic words you used on that little boy?"

The old man smiles serenely and gently confides, "I showed him my pilot's wings, service stars, and battle ribbons, and explained that they entitle me to throw one passenger out the plane door on any flight I choose."

LALOLKFATYK

LALOLKFATYK is “Learn A Lot Of Little Known Facts About Those You Know”.

WHERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Not that I know of...
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Cried? Me?
DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Sure... no one else can read it.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
changes daily
DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
yes
IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Sure.
DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Me?
DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
yes
WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
No way.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Use to be Lucky Charms or CocoaPuffs... Now? All Bran
DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Nope
DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Yes
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Vanilla with chocolate syrup
WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
The way their body is positioned
RED OR PINK?
Merlot
WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
Like it all... even the bad stuff.
WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My family... but I guess if I had to pick one, my Dad... only because I can't see him again anytime soon.
WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
blue and grey
WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
ghiradelli milk chocolate chips with bananas
WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
my kids playing on the computer
IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
emerald green
FAVORITE SMELLS?
vanilla
WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
SM.
FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
On tv? football
HAIR COLOR?
mousy brown
EYE COLOR?
hazel
DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
yes
FAVORITE FOOD?
chocolate
SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Uhhhh... action flicks
LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Hmmm... is Star Wars, Clone Wars a movie??? If not, the Incredibles. I gotta watch what the kids watch. I enjoyed both.
WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
bluish grey
SUMMER OR WINTER?
spring and fall
HUGS OR KISSES?
people? Hugs. Chocolate? Kisses.
FAVORITE DESSERT?
Chocolate
MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Most everyone has done it.
LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Most everyone that wants to do it has done it.
WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Whisper of Evil by Kay Hooper
WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Huh? Don't have one.
WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT?
Aladdin (Tivo'd from during the day) with the kids ... or was it Chip and Dale?
FAVORITE SOUND?
Noises found in the forest
ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Janet Jackson
WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Which way? Hong Kong... I think that was further...
DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Yep
WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
In a hospital
WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
Been reading all the ones out there... pretty cool

And just so she doesn't feel left out... Sticks... how about taking a shot at it? What about you Matthew?

Tot Poses

Tot needs to have 3 photos sent in with his Preschool registration. I asked him to come stand in front of the wall and let me take some pictures. This is what I got:

1.

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2.

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3.

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4.

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5.

Entertaining but only one got selected and printed three times. Sigh... And it was NOT number 3.

A Simple Email Request

Sometimes it is hard to know what is legitimate and what is not. Sometimes it just doesn't matter. Someone is trying to get emails to the 6th Marine Regiment aka RCT-6. It doesn't take much effort or time to write an email. You can find more information at Blackfive HERE (the latest post) and HERE (the first post). I have also included the email if you highlight the following EMAIL HERE. Yes, I wrote an email. I will likely write one again tonight. Please remember, this is for those who support our troops. And every military man deserves our support for helping our country be the best in the world.

Homemade Cards

Tater and Tot made the Father's day card for their dad. Can you figure out who did which one? click picture to enlarge it.

Give up yet? Tot is on the left and Tater on the right. I thought they did a great job. Tot traced it and Tater wrote it himself. Go Team!

Solving murders by studying maggots

This is all CalTechGirl's fault. I couldn't resist seeing what the top 10 worse jobs in Science for 2007 would be... and I followed the link she gave to HERE.

Two stood out for me... Solving murders by studying maggots and They kill, pickle, and bottle the critters that schoolkids cut up. Can you imagine going to college to get one of those jobs??? EWWWWWWWWWWWWWww.

More Toilet Info

Some days I just don't get it... I walked into the bathroom to make sure Tot was ok... he went in to go pee and I heard the toilet flush but nothing else. No washing of the hands, no noise, nothing. And wished I had not walked in... because I shouted... "Get your head out of that toilet".

Yaaa. Looked like he was barfing in the toilet but after I yelled at him, he just looked up at me and smiled.

Thanks Tink

Just a quick thanks to Tink for letting everyone know how stupid I can be. GRIN. yaa... I screwed up all my passwords the other day to the point that one was sent to oblivion. But I'm back as of yesterday... I just forgot the thanks. Been a weee bit distracted... Enjoy!

Vacation Bible School - NOT

Never ever again will I volunteer to help at a VBS. Never. And we are doing an 'Avalanche Ranch' VBS. I thought I was going to be a glorified line leader. Taking 5 or 6 kids from one bible study area to another. Waiting for them to do their thing and lead them to the next one. Uhhhh. NOT. I have to participate and be with my 'team'. Not only that, I ended up with one 6 yr old, two 7 yr olds and two 10 yr olds. Not necessarily the best mix in my mind.

Add to that, two of the younger ones are 'touchy' kids. They want me to hold their hands, or they are consistently sitting right beside me, almost in my lap, or touching my arm or back. Trust me, this is NOT my cup of tea. I hold there hands, I smile and continue to let them sit close to me. It is only till Friday, it is only till Friday... Bou, you can stop laughing now.

Here is where Bou and I do differ. I have no problem standing up, dancing, singing and being an absolute fool in front of the kids and adults and having fun. Won't even make my stomach twinge. Being around people in general is fine, I am an extrovert by nature. Ahhh, here is how we are the same.. Being around small people who demand a lot of attention is NOT fine. I am not a teacher for a reason. This is WHY!!! Don't TOUCH ME! And even I can get sensory overload when every time someone says "God is Real", "God is Strong", "God is with us" every single person (about 70 per classroom) has to shout "WaaaHooo" at the top of their lungs. In small rooms where this is said every couple of minutes is enough to make me want to go to the bathroom and never come out.

Yaa... the best example is the hairdryer. We are in this classroom made for 20, with all 70 of us sitting beside each other on the floor, no where an empty spot. They have a boy stand up with a hairdryer and try to balance a ping pong ball on it. It falls off. They talk about how it is not "Strong like God". Wahoo. How you have to be connected with God because "God is Strong". Wahoo. They plug the hairdryer in the wall... now it is connected to the power... like we can connect to God and we know "God is Strong". Wahoo. They show the ping pong ball now staying balanced above the hairdryer. It now has the strength to hold the ping pong ball up because it is connected to the power. We can get the ability to hold ourselves up when we connect to God because "God is Strong". Wahoo. Ok, so we did 4 wahoos in under 5 minutes. Trust me it didn't take them long on the example and speech. The idea... was cool. Something visible for the kids to relate to... The wahoos. Nope. Stop it.

No kidding. Every couple of minutes we are all having to scream Wahoo. Oh, it gets better. Even the young ones are being taught to scream wahoo. That means on the way home, in my house and every time I turn around... my boys are saying one of the phrases to make the other one scream wahoo. I was talking to Tink about VBS after I got home... and I whispered to her I wanted to tell the boys to "F.cking SHUT UP on the Waahoos" when she said "God can hear you when you whisper." We both started laughing. Yes, I shouted wahoo during VBS. No, I haven't stopped my kids from saying it. No, I didn't freak when we had to sit in these small classrooms... but by the end of the day... even I want to run away.

Thomas Train Recall

My BIL, Bobby, sent me a note this morning informing that Thomas the Train had been recalled. Sure enough there is lead in some of the paint...

Here is the LINK to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Name of Products: Various Thomas & Friends™ Wooden Railway Toys

Units: About 1.5 million

Importer/Distributor: RC2 Corp., of Oak Brook, Ill.

Hazard: Surface paints on the recalled products contain lead. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects.

It lists exactly which ones are in question. Also, if you want a more dramatic story... go HERE to abc News on it.

Speaking of Wine

I just seem to be hitting the jackpot each week... this time, I was asked to take a look at a site that sells wine racks. Considering I'm trying to figure out what to do with the 3 boxes of wine I have sitting in three different closets, this is not a bad choice for me to review.

The site is called "the Vine Store".A couple of things caught my eye... The BBBOnlineReliability logo, the 800 number in the upper right, the contact us tab. When I'm going to buy something, I like to do a little research about the company before I press the pay button. Though they have let their BBBonline status lapse, the BBBonline still had an overall good review of the Vine Store. It also let me know the company has been in business since 2002. Which is something I prefer... a business that has been running over 3 years.

Now here is a picture of the room I want to put a wine rack:

If you click to enlarge the picture you will see the word "HERE" on the wall. With that in mind, I went to "the Vine Store" and started shopping.

The main page shows the best sellers. Interesting, but not what I wanted. Off to the left, I saw a link for Wall Mounted Wine Racks. After glancing at that page, I decided maybe I would prefer not to display all our wine, but a couple that we might have with dinner on occasion. A couple of reds and a white?

I decided I wanted a closer look at the "3 Bottle Wall Mounted Wine Rack" and clicked on the link. The picture was still small, so I clicked to enlarge it. It did not work. Hmmm. Switched over to Internet Explorer from Firefox. It still did not work. Ok... not happy with that, but was glad to see they had a nice description of the rack and the warranty that comes with it. Some of the other racks had better descriptions including the measurements necessary.

Being curious, I went to a bunch of the pictures and clicked to enlarge them. None of them worked for me. Might be a 'setting' I have that prevents it but very annoying. I have sent them an email. When they respond, I will update this post.

I decided to act like I was going to buy it. I also decided I wanted a black finish versus pewter. Nice to have options. Wish I could have seen the black wine rack versus the pewter, but could not find it.

Ta da. Nice easy shopping cart. Has the ability to continue shopping. Has the lock at the bottom once you start to fill in any information for the order. Since I am not really ready to buy yet, I stopped the order.

Overall review. Nice site. Many options for those who want to shop different ways... by wine rack type, by price, and even some accessories. It has a few things I would like changed that I stated above... the enlarged pictures and black versus pewter pictures. As well as the the "Kitchen and Accessories" and the "Links" links at the bottom don't work. This won't stop me... I'm definitely going to keep this site in mind when I'm ready to buy a wine rack.

technorati: the vine store

Uh oh, oh no

Well it seems the bug has pulled a good one this time and deleted her password and sent the new one to Timbuktu.

At least as of 6 o'clock this morning she couldn't log on to munu; but maybe now she can.

Personally, I think the fact that she doesn't know where she sent her new password should qualify for the Humor of the Day, don't you?

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

H U R R I C A N E
S U R V I V A L Q U I Z---------------------------------------------

1. How are hurricane's names selected?

a. Named after Congressmen who are full of hot air
b. Names of spouses are submitted by divorced people
c. Page 824 in Miami's phone book
d. Hurricanes don't care what you call them

2. What do they call the most severe hurricane?

a. Category 5
b. Red Alert
c. Costly
d. HOLY CRAP

3. If a hurricane Guido, with wind speeds of 104 MPH leaves the Northwest
African coast on Wednesday at 7:04 AM and is traveling West at 16 MPH and
hurricane Isabel, with wind speeds of 93 MPH leaves Key West at 24 MPH on
Thursday at 11:32 AM; when would they meet?

a. Tuesday at 3:18 PM, but their luggage would be in Paris
b. Never, Isabel doesn't want to have anything to do with a blowhard
like Guido
c. Never, Guido said that there's no place for Isabel to stop and ask
directions; she'll probably end up in Rio
d. Trick question - hurricanes don't depart from Key West

4. You're flying in a small, single engine plane. You look up and see a
hurricane directly ahead. What's the first thing that enters your mind?

a. It's got the right of way! It's got the right of way!
b. This is the last time I fly no-frills
c. I can't believe she's going to get EVERYTHING now!
d. I gotta change my shorts!
e. The windshield

5. A hurricane is dangerous if...

a. you get in it's way
b. it's had a REALLY bad day
c. you try to stop it to ask directions
d. you do not yield right of way

6. How do forecasters know a hurricane is coming?
a. Hurricanes ALWAYS leave a forwarding address
b. They have REALLY good binoculars
c. Hurricanes LOVE the beach
d. They send out a bunch of small boats and plot the sinkings

7. How can you protect your house in the event of a hurricane?

a. Sell it - QUICK
b. Bury it and dig it up later
c. Cover it with leaves and pretend it's a big bush
d. Two words -- Duct tape

8. What is the first thing you should do if a hurricane is confirmed to
be heading in your direction?

a. Check your supplies for the big hurricane party
b. Air drop a roadmap, of another area, into the eye
c. Put out all your trash for immediate air disposal
d. Begin drawing plans for the new house you will soon be building

9. What should you NOT do if a hurricane is coming?

a. Begin those remodeling plans you've been putting off
b. Put the cat or dog out (unless on a LONG leash)
c. Cancel your homeowner's insurance
d. Go on a picnic, to the beach

10. When is it a good time to evacuate your home?

a. When the water level reaches the roof
b. When your in-ground swimming pool becomes airborne
c. Shortly after your roof is declared a UFO
d. When people ask how you constructed a home without outer walls

11. Where should you evacuate?

a. A nearby lowland to wait out the floods
b. A tall location, like on top of a radio tower or one of Florida's
many mountain tops
c. Anywhere that has a happy hour and free munchies
d. Out to sea on a small craft

12. Why should you NOT stay close to the beach?

a. All the best spots are probably taken
b. Track in too much sand
c. Cooler keeps blownin' away
d. Hard to stay put under the 50' waves

13. If the eye of the hurricane passes overhead, you should not...

a. stare; it's impolite
b. make direct eye contact
c. offer it some Visine
d. ask if it's seen Dorthy and Toto

14. What happens after the eye passes?

a. Stay very still; maybe it didn't see you
b. It can't see you any more
c. You can expect a large nose, followed by the mouth, etc.
d. It winks and waves good-bye

15. What should you do first after a hurricane passes?

a. Locate your computer
b. Determine if your computer is operational
c. Contact your insurance agent about replacing your computer
d. See if your spouse, kids and pets are around; get back to your
computer

16. Who should you turn to if you need help after a hurricane?

a. Local government (also blown away)
b. State government (can't afford to help)
c. Federal government (doesn't care)
d. Foreign governments (the Japanese are looking for investments)

17. What services should you expect to be without, after a hurricane?

a. Electricity (no cold beer)
b. Telephone (no modem)
c. Your computer!! (Eeeeeaaaaahhh!)
d. Callgirls (prey the rebuilding begins soon)

18. What happens a year after you're hit by a hurricane?

a. Still looking for pieces of your house
b. Still looking for pieces of your computer
c. Still looking for pieces of yourself
d. The government sees you've started rebuilding; concludes you need no emergency help

Break Time

I have a ton of pictures over the last week... slip and slide, paintings, and more... the only pictures I am going to post for now are these two:

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Needless to say, they snuck by me with that mess... how I'm still not sure... But they enjoyed it for while. Besides, everytime I look at it, it reminds me of how I feel... though I'm looking for that relaxing center to lay down in and enjoy.

Huggy Wuggy

Seems my boys have thought they could get around the wrestling at different places by telling me they are hugging. In fact, they call it "Huggy Wuggy". Yaa... looks like wrestling to me. Your thoughts?

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Yaa, big bad mommy made them stop. Well, the times that I saw them. This was not my camera taking the pictures. My friend was kind enough to take pictures of my boys and give them to me. Ohhh... I did take the ones yesterday. I borrowed the camera long enough to take pictures of the them bowling for the first time (ya ya ya... I forgot my camera). Interesting how she got better action shots than I did.

Sirius??? me???

h/t wRitErsbLock

You scored as Sirius Black, You are a gifted wizard and very loyal to your allegiance. Whilst you have a big heart and care very much about those around you, you can be a little arrogant and reckless at times. Sirius Black 80% Albus Dumbledore 75% Draco Malfoy 65% Harry Potter 65% Ginny Weasley 60% Hermione Granger 60% Ron Weasley 55% Lord Voldemort 55% Severus Snape 50% Remus Lupin 35% Your Harry Potter Alter Ego Is...? created with QuizFarm.com

First Time Bowling

A friend had her son's birthday party at a bowling alley. We couldn't resist. Particularly since we knew there would be bumpers in the gutters... even if her son was turning 7!

Tot was up first:

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Then it turns out they have some other piece of equipment for the kids...

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Tater tried it as well:

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Tot was watching his brother closely:

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And there has to be a picture of some silly faces...

Fun was had by all... and there will be more pictures tomorrow.

To Help Out Harvey

Seems one of Harvey's children (one of my blog-uncles) is having a party over at this place. Harvey would like some help. Hope on over and comment on what you can do to help out. GRIN.

CupCake Request

It's hard to say no to Tater when he turns those bedroom eyes at you and says with the sweetest voice, "May we please make cupcakes?". Sigh. I have to be out of my mind this summer. Yet, I worked it into the day...

Here is Tot with the mixer. He loved doing the mixing...

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Tater broke down and mixed a little of it...

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The best part? Spooning out the mix! Tot wanted to make big cupcakes...

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and Tater wanted to make small ones...

And mom forgot to spray the small trays with Pam before putting in the mix. Particularly since I didn't have any mini-cupcake holders. Some of the mini-cupcakes were only partially removed. yummmmy cake pieces.

Made it through another day of summer. Yipeee!

What will my Epitaph say?

h/t Bitterroot where I saw it first.

According to this quiz:

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

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And who could resist the one Mrs. Who put up?

'What will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

What???

Sometimes I get a few minutes to sit and just play. Usually when my kids are on the computer. Today, instead of mopping and cleaning toilets... I thought I would surf. While surfing I heard Tater say to Tot, "Kiss my butt". Huh??? It was only top'd by "Kiss my tongue". Luckily they aren't really doing these things, but they do make me wonder where in the world they get these ideas. I have heard hubby say "Kiss my butt", but I have NEVER heard anyone in this house say "Kiss my tongue". Ewwwwwwwwww.

And if that wasn't enough to make me blink, then seeing this picture certainly made me stop:

No No NO... not the women. The message in the upper right. Minors under the age of 18 not admitted. Now I want to know why!!!!

Volcano Lesson 101

Ever think that something would be fun only to find out that it is a lot of work for mom? Yaa... I learned that lesson. How hard could it be to make two paper mache volcanoes and then let them blow up? Not too hard unless you have a 4 year old asking every 5 minutes when we could put in the stuff to make the volcano explode. Sigh...

No I did not wait for each layer to dry before we put on the next one... After the layers, we decided that we would not paint them but put real dirt and grass on them. Big mistake. Next time, this is done OUTSIDE, not on the back porch.

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Before the time of explosion, we must do flybys with our new airplanes...

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Great big mess. The kids loved it.

pssst. Notice the grass is starting to turn green? We had a rain a couple of days ago. Yipee.

Ohhh. And we can't forget the flybys after the explosion....

The kids loved it. I will be doing it again, but definitely this will ALL be created and done outside. Where? I don't know... but outside.

European Hotel Bookings

Many moons ago, I signed up to ReviewMe.com to get a little extra money. Now I have a chance to do a review on something that truly interest me. It's called Eurobookings.

Why would this interest me? I have some good friends in Germany that I would love to visit. If you remember, about a year ago their daughter came and stayed with us for 4 weeks. And they have offered for us to stay with them. Nope, not going to happen. They have a little tiny flat and I have 2 children and a husband to haul along with me. I want a hotel.

Being someone always looking for a good deal to get me to Germany and a place to stay while there... I wanted to check out this European Hotel booking site because of what they wrote:

provides users with easy-to-book European hotel reservations. Visitors can sort by hotels near landmarks, hotel popularity, proximity to airports, and hotel reviews.

People do not pay a reservation fee or pay for the hotel in advance but rather pay when they check out of the hotel - a concept that puts more travelers at ease when they book a hotel because they can always negotiate their rate if their stay isn't satisfactory.

Something that caught my eye was the part about not paying a reservation fee or for the hotel in advance. I lived in Germany and traveled a lot. Trust me, you want to be able to negotiate if there is any problem with the stay.

Hence, I went to the site and checked it out. The first thing I noticed it was easy to navigate. It also gave some options when I put in Munich, Germany. Nice! First it gave me a couple of other places: Did you mean Monnickendam, Moniga, Monnikendam. Then it broke down another way: Was the destination the country, the city, the airport or the region. At the end of each was the number of hotels available. I clicked on Munich (the city) and was pleasantly surprised I could narrow my search even more (since I forgot to at the initial page). For me, non-smoking is a necessity. Tot has asthma. That is one of those options. For the computer geeks, there is Internet Services and Wi-Fi/Wireless LAN. A whole lot more is listed but you can go see for yourself.

I liked the map option (must have spent 10 minutes just playing with that), the information on the hotels and the little pop-up window on what is included in the price. I like the fact they have been in business about 10 years, have an easy to read Terms and Conditions, an FAQ, an email address to ask questions, and that their prices are approximately the same as Expedia for 2 adults staying q week. Yep, I checked but it is a little difficult to make sure. It took some time to figure which one was picking which room and so on. If I did it right, Eurobookings was a little cheaper.

Are you ready for the part that drove me nuts? It is all in Euros. ya ya ya. I'm going to Germany, what should I expect? At the top, it gives you the option for the language of "English". Notice the flag? Yep, England and not the USA. Sigh. It would be nice to have a link to a money converter. It also did not have a good indication that 4 people were acceptable for a room. Will that stop me from using it? Nope.

I enjoyed going through the site. Found it easy to get information. When I'm ready to travel, I will certainly come back to Eurobookings and check out the prices and availability... even if I have to convert the money myself and send out a few emails to make sure there isn't a price increase for hauling to young kids with me.

Technorati: eurobookings advertisement

More Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

METEOROLOGIST JEFF HABY

Have you noticed the hurricane names just do not do justice to how terrifying the storms are? Who could be afraid of names like Karl, Lisa, Jeanne or Nicole? The proposition is to create a new set of names that will get people's attention that a dangerous storm is on the way. Attention grabbing names like beast, freak, psycho, nuke and hell. Below is a proposed list of new hurricane names.

Proposed New Hurricane Names For Next Year

A Annihilate

B Beast

C Cantankerous

D Demolishment

E Evil

F Freak

G Grisly

H Hell

I Infamous

J Jeopardy

K Kooky

L Liverish

M Malicious

N Nuke

O Offensive

P Psycho

Q Quash

R Ravage

S Scuzzy

T Terminator

U Ugly

V Vicious

W Wacko

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

Some old, some new... but it is that time...

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You can get this on a T-shirt at Cafe Press...

The Best Time To Have...

...a watergun fight is when it's raining. Like this past weekend.

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Might as well water Mom's plant that she stuck out in the rain... right?

Table Talk

I have been working on table manners for our family. Only to discover... I am going to have to work on Dad's too! Seems all the boys want to talk at the same time. Geeze. Another 'male trait' I'll have to write down in the books.

Yet, it has been fun. We find an object to pass around and the person with the object is the one allowed to talk. Doesn't always work, but we try. And along with it is '20 questions' that everyone gets a chance to answer. Like: What is your favorite color? What can you think of that is yellow? What makes you happy? What's your favorite game to play? And last night... what is your favorite song... And I have forgotten what the boys said because we laughed so hard at Dad's singing.

He was singing "Old MacDonald Had a Farm"... but instead of an animal... it was:

Old MacDonald had a farm, eieio
And on his farm he had a momma, eieio
with a fart fart here, a fart fart there, here a fart, there a fart, every where a fart fart

(now replace fart with fart noises). Even I was laughing so hard it hurt. He did a great job. But I'll never think of that song the same way again. Neither will the boys. It will be interesting to see the outcome of this little ditty... I may have some interesting songs from the boys to post soon.

And this morning, I read that Bou has questions about farting as well. seems this is a fart kind of week.

Wild Fires

Rave asked how the wild fires were doing in our area. I do not smell the smoke when I walk out the door anymore. I'm not sure if it is because I am use to it or it has been blown a different direction. Here are the fires in Florida as of June 1st:

You can find information at Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services Division of Forestry Wildland Fires. Phew. Then on the right hand side is a Florida Wildfires Map (pdf). Click there to get the latest.

Here And Gone

Wow. The rain came, it poured down. It left puddles of water yesterday. Today it is gone.

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Just a little water left in the swale.. not much... just enough for the mosquitos I'm sure. Sigh.

Rain, Precious Rain

We got rain last night... look what I saw in our yard this morning:

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And down our road in the swales:

No, it's not enough. but I think my plants might just survive...

Fashion Statement

We bought the boys a book on Disney Villains. They had little 'accessories' for each villain. Guess which villian wears these:

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Tater loved wearing them as well... but wouldn't stand still long enough to get a picture.

Someone outside this family is going to have to teach my kids fashion. I can't color coordinate and my hubby is never home when they are getting dressed. What ever happen to GrrAnimals??? Maybe I'll just have Mammaw back down here to sew tags into the kids clothes so they can figure out what matches with what they have. ;-)