There are so many things that I want to remember so I'm going to write out some of them now before evrything is so overwhelming that I forget!

The trip was a long drive but it was nice to be with Matt again!

I have to admit. I've spent a lot of time reading about and planningvthis trip. After all, what else should I do for the 9 month wait?

So day one, I amdit that I was excited. I've been waiting till my kids were old enough to take since before they were born! We had my trusty plan (with spontinaity built in-inside joke there). We got to the ticket area super early to avoid crowds. I didn't know how long getting Matts ticket would take. I had visions of swarms of people packing the park and wall to wall crowds in MY way. Turns out that it was no big deal. We had rock star parking. Right by the entrance! No crowds as we rode the monorail to the park. I was more excited than the kids at first. They didn't know what to expect and I was reliving my childhood dreams!

We were right by the ropes to let us into the magic kingdom and did have to wait a few minutes but I vastly prefer that to being in the middle of a pushing mass of strangers! I took Becky's advice and got a double stroller for the kids. Connor only used it occassionally but it has been nice to have. We were able to ditch it several times and then pick up a new one later!

Matt was sceptical when he saw my plan for the morning but he had to admit that I rock when he realized that we never ever waited more than 5 min to ride a ride. (Peter Pan was the only one!) every other ride was simply a matter of walking up to the gate!

I didn't think the kids would get all the references to "classic" characters, but Maddie loved the Winnie the Pooh ride and it took Matt and I back down memory lane. She even wanted to ride it again!

The kids loved the teacups but Matt decided to sit out the "happy-go-puky" as he calls it. The kids wanted me to go a lot faster than I expected!

We rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Maddie was nervous but excited. She rode with Matt but he didn't understand what she needed to not freak out. Actually, my sister Julie totally freaked out but Maddie just said "I don't think I want to do that again". Poor baby. Then Matt kept talking about how fast it was and how it was okay if she was scared. I was frustrated with him. That was freaking her out even more! It was okay though, maddie and I talked about how it was really exciting and cool. She decided that se wanted to go back and try it again. We had snagged fast passes so we figured we could see how she felt later.

We stopped for lunch early at the resturaunt in Frontierland. (11:15)Heratige House? I'll have to look it up. We got in with no reservations and a short wait because they were not officially open yet. The food was really good. A bit more expensive than counterservice but very yummy. They saw our badges (we are celebrating Matt's 40th and Maddie's 5th while he is home on R&R) and brought out cake for them after lunch. The cast members go out of their way to make birthdays special. Telling them happy birthday, free parking, special deserts etc.

Right before we left, out waiter brought a box out to Matt and said that it was from all the staff at the resturaunt as a thank you for his service. (connor's badge said that he was celebrating his dad returning from Iraq). It was really cool and Matt got all choked up. He never looks for attention or asks for appreciation. It was a nice statue of an eagle wrapped in an American flag. It was a cool special appreciation for him.

We hit Adventureland and saw a parade and show smack dab in front of the castle after lunch and left by 1. We saw most of the park by 11!

We were going to take a nap and come back later but we decided to relax by the pool and hang out and watch Monsters vrs Aliens.

I am so glad we scheduled our trips to the parks in such a way that we can ditch and not feel like we missed anything!

Since I am typing this on my phone my thumbs need a break!




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Vacation blog

So I'm relaxing on the patio at our fantastic resort. I admit that I was a bit worried when we drove past a bunch of older run down motels but then we turned a corner and found this gated area filled with small brightly painted yellow cottages. They are actually upstairs and downstairs units. Kitchen dining livingroom and bedroom. Heck, the bathroom is bigger than BOTH of our bathrooms at home, put together!

The food I packed stayed frozen thanks to the dry ice. So we have food to eat and can relax.

The kids are running around under trees drapped in Spanish moss while they find geckos and look for cool sticks. Matts taking a nap since he drove the whole way.

There is a car show nearby that we might go check out tonight. But overall this has been a great result!

Last nights hotel (quality suites) was neither quality nor an actual suite. The while point of a suite is to have privacy! That was very disappointing but today is looking way up!

I am so happy to have Matt home! The kids are just so happy to be able to run up and hug him at random points throughout the day. Tomorrow will be fun to see how excited they are as we visit the magic kingdom! They watched a few Disney movies in the car. Maddie was singing along with her Tinkerbelle movie. I'm almost more excited than they are!
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You know your son is cool when....

You know your son is cool when he is as awesome as my son.

Ok, I'm not deluded. We need to get this boy into sports soon so his geekiness doesn't overpower the coolness that is Connor but I saw his BGI journal this morning and flipped through it.


1. BGI is Bullies Gone Inc. No he isn't being bullied but he loves Calvin and Hobbies and he has gotten into a few fights on the schoolyard so he thought this was a good idea.


2. BTW, when he got in a fight, the teacher made both boys jump up and down while in time out to burn off the extra energy. Apparently they were both so wound up they were not being careful and one accident led to another, which led to fighting...good idea! Although I would have used pushups!


3. He opens his journal with a quote about battles, taken from a book.

War is blood. In war we say, the bloods the terror, you never know when to strike, you must win the battles. Use frost beaks, ice talons, fire claws. Guardians win with wits, not might.

Note: I didn't realize this was in the books he was reading, but I am guessing it's from the Guardians of Ga'hoole series about a group of owls.


4. We had a fundraiser at school where the kids could earn prizes for selling cookie dough. I pointed out how much he had to sell to earn a $6 screaming monkey slingshot....so he made a list of the prizes that he would want. And then listed them in Pig Latin and "Irish" so nobody would understand the code.


Irish is like pig latin, except instead of ending in "ay" you end in "er". He is actually really good at this! He is constantly talking to me in "Irish" or "Pig Lay-ten".


V. Yes, I switched to Roman Numerals. He had asked me how Roman numerals work once and it turns out that he did understand the concept becuase everything is numbered in Roman numerals! Correctly, I might add.

Freaking Awesome. or OSM! as Maddie would spell.


VI. The list also includes the punnishments for breaking rules (to come later). Also listed in Pig Latin and "Irish". They involve things like time out, dodging paint, doing 300 pushups, getting tackled and writing. In my defense, I've never made him dodge paint...


VII. The RULES! Written with large Roman Numeral Headings . Some of the rules are actually pretty good rules, no lying or stealing. Others are pretty bizzare. Here are a few.

I. Every secret plan needs a code. The more complicated the better. (extra points if you know where that came from!)
III. Never turn in homework late.
IV . If homework is late, you will receive a mopping. (um, no clue on this one!)
VII. Never go coo-coo.
XI. No drinking soda.
XII. You are allowed to do extra homework. (he is not refering to "real" homework, but the crazy stuff he makes up, like making more lists, codes and battle plans)
XIII. Moppers also feed plants.
XVI. Must complete work before earling a bugbe.


I have to say that I love my boy. He surprises me sometimes but he is such a remarkable boy. He cracks me up with the way his mind works and I only hope that he is always creative and full of excitement ..... and not a just full blown geek in high school.

Blackmail?

I told my babysitter (Nikki H.) that these were going to be posted as blackmail but honestly, it's not blackmail at all. She was so sweet and cute that I just can't stop myself.



And a closeup....



I dig those armwarmers!

I came home from a cool party at Sarah's and found her out on the couch. That being said, it was late, the kids were in bed, and the house was clean. So I am okay with her sleeping on the couch.

I should have looked closer though. Apparently she did the dishes!(I think a bigger tip is in store for next time!)

This morning, the kids piled into bed with me and I did the post-babysitter grill session. What did she do? Dis you like her? Did anything happen?

They were bouncing up and down telling me about all the games she played with them and how she was so nice and she should come back again.

So this is not blackmail. It's public kudos for a job well done! Let me know if you need her number! She does a great job!

As a side note, her older sister was good too and my kids loved Kim because she makes yarn animals and can draw anything!




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"Obama Money" mmm mmmm mmmm

I listen to Rush Limbaugh.  You may not like the guy and I admit that he is a bit self absorbed, but the info he puts out is definitely food for thought.   And he calls it right a lot.

I can't find the clips anywhere but from Rush's show, so don't jump down my throat. Rush is playing an audio clip from WJR from Detroit.

This is from an event in Detroit where they are giving out applications for stimulus funds to help pay for mortgages or help people who are homeless.  I'm not going to go into the details of how the funds are allotted becuase the point is this news station in Detroit decided to ask these people where they think the money came from.........



As a side note:  approx. 3,500 people will be recieving funds.  Over 65,000 applied.  Many of which had the same understanding of government funds.

Grown up temper tantrums and demands....

Sakhile township, Standerton, South Africa, residents protested against their poor living conditions Tuesday. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets, wounding several demonstrators demanding better sanitation, electricity and housing. (Associated Press)

Would ya'll like to explain to me how ripping out a stop sign and rioting is going to IMPROVE your living conditions?

This is just an example of what happens when people think that someone OWES them. Someone should GIVE them better housing. Someone should just take care of them becuase it's not FAIR that they don't have a better life.


That guy on the right looks just a little too happy. M'thinks he protests too much....life can't be all that bad if you are that happy to be destroying where you live....

Congratulations to Pres. Obama.

Congratulations to Pres. Obama on the notable achievement of being nominated and receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.

Congratulations on this achievement, but I have to ask, while receiving this award is a great pat on the back to you, what did you actually DO to receive this?

What notable change did you wrought in the world stage that actually brought greater peace and stability to the world?

Maybe I'm mistaken, but I've only seen a lack of achievement from you so far. I have to say that I would appreciate you doing your job and serving the people of this nation, instead of traveling the globe in your "America is evil and It will all change now that I am here" speeches.

I don't agree with you on HOW or WHAT change should occur, but I"m really disappointed that you were given an award for work that you haven't actually done yet!


I don't want to burst your bubble but while the Nobel Peace Prize carries a lot of positive attention on the world stage, the dirty secret is that it's not really a great award after all.

Consider this, this accolade is often granted on the basis of unquantifiable contemporary opinion, usually after some political event.

The nominees are presented to the committee from biased sources...so Mr. Obama will share the honor with celebrities such as Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini. Unfortunately, others who have left a marked impression on the world with efforts towards peace are not included....Mahatma Gandhi, Corazon Aquino, Pope John XXIII, Pope John Paul II, Dorothy Day, Oscar Romero, Steve Biko, Raphael Lemkin, and Irena Sendler.

So maybe this award isn't such a notable achievement after all. You didn't actually DO anything to earn it, just talk, just words. And instead of sharing a legacy with those who actually DID things, you will have to hope that you can do something to live up to the lofty impression you have created for yourself.

Teaching our kids to be fat.....

I might be a bit overly protective of my kids, but I honestly think this is RIDICULOUS.

My 4 year old daughter started pointing out Pizza Hut and KFC recently. I was really suprised because we don't typically eat fast food. It's more of a special exception, rather than the rule. I treat is as a last ditch resort, because I don't want my kids growing up overweight and unhealthy.

(That's not to say I'm opposed to junk. I made cake for breakfast today. Admittedly it was a whole wheat, oatmeal raisin overnight cake, but that's a completely different issue)

It turns out that the SCHOOL MUSIC TEACHER has been teaching the kids a song to "learn shapes".


The lyrics:
A Pizza Hut a Pizza Hut
Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
A Pizza hut a Pizza Hut
Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
McDonald’s McDonald’s
Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
McDonald’s McDonald’s
Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut


WHAT THE HECK! Our children are being indoctrinated and ‘Dumbed-Down‘ with songs about fast food franchises. Singing ‘McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken’ in our public schools sends a grossly consumerist message to our children. Sure it’s a fun idea to sing about things that kids are "familiar with" (one the reason that one of the teachers gave me for the use of this song), but do we really need to brainwash our kids and create positive association with fast food?

Not only does our country have a serious problem with obesity, but the majority of people don't get the basic amount of fruits and veg. that we need for a healthy life. Does it seem like a good idea to indoctrinate 4 year olds with unhealthy lifestyles? Really?

I've always rejected the idea of being an ad for a company. I don't buy tshirts that scream the name of the brand or carry a bag with a logo. I remove the dealer logos on my car. So why would I want my child to be chanting the name of a company? Not just any company, but one that I don't patronize on a regular basis?

This is not a rant to ban McDonalds. I admit that it is a service that I appreciate and use. But I should not have to worry about my child recieving a message that I don't agree with at school. Namely, go eat fast food!

I made it through elementary school music classes without learning jingles for fast food. We sang everything from classic nursery rhymes to southern spirituals, to patriotic music and fun silly songs.....not a burger or pizza in the bunch.



So what do you think? Do you think that I'm overreacting or justified in my irritation?

If you have to listen to the song, check out this video, but be forwarned....it's obnoxious and annoying.

Happy Halloween....

Matt sent this card to me years ago and I still pull it out as part of my Halloween decor....