February 28, 2006

Tuesday Afternoon

Ok, not really. It was Monday night, at 8:00. The place was the Florida Theatre in Jacksonville. The event was the Moody Blues Concert (Oddybobo [SHE...and three points if you guess why I said that, and no telling Oddy], Elisson [who is doing much better after getting stoned, thank the Lord], and T1G [who cheated because he looked at the other two's answers] got it right.

What can I say? It was most excellent! They still got it. I don't remember Graeme Edge not singing so much or being part of the group. In other videos I've seen, he's always sung a bit more. But he is still one hell of a drummer.

It was a great concert. The love of my life even bought me a t-shirt!

The only low point was the fact that we didn't get home until 11:30, and the alarm went off at 4:30, and it took me over an hour to wind down to get to sleep. Not a big thing, as I'm still running on adrenalin, right now at least. But that wall keeps coming closer.

I have a feeling when I fall, it's going to be hard. But right now? I have to get the oldest and head on out and pick up the youngest from dance and go to Chik-Fil-A for School night (every Tuesday). I'm on my own as my other half is busy with month-end processing tonight.

And then? We'll be watching American Idol. Because, of course, I live the exciting life in which we wait with baited breath to see who will be thrown off next. And, of course, who Simon will make cry next.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's episode, "Exercising, and OH.MY.GOD, I didn't know I had muscles there."

Posted by Moogie at 6:07 PM | Comments (4)

A little SPAM with my cheese?

First of all, I would like to thank all of you, especially Mother Kitty who notified me right off the bat for letting me know that I had been attacked by SPAM over the last two days. As I wasn't on-line yesterday, I was unaware of anything amiss.

By the time I got to it, I had been flooded, and suddenly had a craving for that processed meat in a can.

Sheesh, I wish there was a good way to handle that, but unfortunately, at least to my knowledge, there really isn't one unless I go to extreme measures.

Any one up for a grilled SPAM sandwich? I’ve got some good, homemade San Francisco sourdough, or if you prefer, some New York Rye.

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

Posted by Moogie at 5:58 PM | Comments (3)

February 27, 2006

Spotlight Blogging

Every once in a while, when I am perusing through my blogroll, I come across some posts that make me smile. Sometimes, I even snort. Oddybobo causes this reaction in me quite often. I'm not entirely sure why, though I suspect that it's because her blogger persona is so completely different than mine.

In this post, she talks about getting into trouble as a youngster.

I have been kicked out of every fast food joint in my home area. I was kicked out of Burger King for simulating that oh-so-memorable scene from When Harry Met Sally. I was kicked out of McDonalds for snapping all their straws. I was kicked out of Wendy's for insisting that they did not, in fact, make my burger my way since it was square and for the love of all that is holy, a burger should not be square. I was kicked out of Long John Silvers for screaming, "This Fish Is Made Of People!" I was asked to leave the premises of the Hot Dog Shoppe for trying to walk through the drive through, and I was asked to leave the pizza parlor for starting a tini-tiny food fight. I am sure there were others too.

I really didn't get into a lot of trouble in my youth. I would rarely talk out of turn in school, or in front of adults because I was just too shy and would have been painfully mortified to be pointed out in a group of people. Teachers were well aware of this fact, and admittedly, even if I was involved, there were quite a few times that people didn't believe I had anything to do with it because I was a "good kid." And no, I didn't set the record straight for the most part.

Go on over and visit Oddybobo and tell her I said hi! And while your at it, go take a peak at her son. Could it be that the apple never falls far from the tree?

Can someone please tell me if there really is special underwear for Mormons?

Posted by Moogie at 12:48 PM | Comments (5)

February 26, 2006

Name that group!

"I'm just a singer in a rock and roll band"

Guess why I ask? Just take a wild guess. Me and my other half are going to see them in a concert tomorrow night.

Readers note: You may have to be a bit older to know this one as this band has been around for a while. Which, yes, in answer to your question, means I'm dating myself.

Nights in white satiiiiiinnnnn.........

Posted by Moogie at 7:07 PM | Comments (3)

February 24, 2006

A recap

It's been a busy week here at Chez Moogie. There have been alot of different activities going on with the kids and just life in general. In an effort to minimize the essay like quality of this post (read this as "I take way too long to explain things," I have listed some of the more important things.

1. My neighbors moved out to California. Their last day here was Wednesday, and one of the families down the street gave a little dinner. I mention this because I had to work late that night, AND I already had dinner in the crockpot. As you probably can deduce, this was a last minute effort. I wasn't upset about this in the least as that just meant that dinner was done for the next night, and someone else cooked it on Wednesday. How cool is that?
2. My eldest daughter did all of her homework and (presumably) turned everything in this week. She even turned in her Math warm-ups, which they have to do every week. The only thing she missed was her reading log. This story is for another post, because I am going to write a book about it, and then force her to read it and LOG it.

[On a side note here, this child reads everything she can get her hands on. The problem? She doesn't like filling out the log, so she doesn't. She has to read 100 minutes per week, which is nothing for her. She owes me two logs this weekend to make up for what she didn't turn in. I just haven't told her yet.]

3. I signed up at Curves today. It's time. I am tired of being tired. I want to play with my children and not sound like a 75 year old 3 pack a day smoker with emphysema. After 2 minutes. I'm really stoked about it. I guess that means I'm ready to take my life back, and get on track to a healthier me. This also means that I'm going to quit that nasty smoking habit (hi Mom!) if it kills me. Or I kill my husband, whichever comes first. To top it off, I have a discount card that gave me a 66% discount of the initial registration fee, as well as the first month free. It's all good. The bad part is that the lady weighed me and measured all of my body parts, as well as measured my BMI (I think that's what you call it). So watch this space as I will give you periodic updates, providing I'm able to move after exercising, and I'm fit for human company.
4. I received a link from this man's blog and I'm not entirely sure why I did, but I am flattered. He's got quite a bit of interesting stuff that he writes about. Thanks Basil. Now, what do I need to do to get an interview?
5. I would like to pose a question for my peeps. What do you think of a book blog? Perhaps book of the month, or some place where you can talk about your favorite authors or a good book you just read. Would you participate?

That's about it for now. I have answered two of the wonderful questions posed by both this lady, and this lady and plan to answer more of them this weekend. There is still time to post your questions. Just go here and post them in the comments, or email me. Can you feel the linky love?

Posted by Moogie at 4:49 PM | Comments (5)

February 23, 2006

Questions Answered - Part 2

The next question came from my good friend Melonie. I've "known" her for a while now. I think I was introduced to her by Sharon, but I digress, which is a bad habit of mine. My mind wanders and I'm wondering if perhaps there isn't some type of leash I could use to make it heel.

Melonie has six children. SIX CHILDREN. But wait! There's more. She's is currently attending college full time. She also has a husband, father-in-law, and a bundle of animals to take care of. Excuse me while I go take a nap after thinking about that. The laundry alone would be enough to kill me.

She is my hero. I won't even go into the whole confronting the drug dealer scenario. You'll just have to read her archives (January) to figure out what I'm talking about (I need to talk to her about trackback or permalinks; don't let me forget, mkay?

The question:

Okay, Pam has you started on Sue Grafton, so now I want to know when you started reading, how often do you read, do you love reading and if so when did this love of reading develop?

This is an awesome question Melonie. Very easy for me to answer.

I started reading when I was pretty little. I read when I get the chance, albeit, it's not nearly as much as I would like to. I love to read because I'm the type of person that becomes the character. It's a complete escape for me. I get so into a book (if it's good) and the characters that I'm quite often disappointed when it ends.

My mom is the one who started the spark, and it's now built into a huge inferno. She used to read with me every night. She made it fun by making up games. She would read a page, and then I would read a page. Then she would read a story, and get stuck on the hard words, and I would figure out the words. If I went to bed and read instead of watching TV, she would let me stay up a half an hour later.

So as you can see, I have always loved to read and I'm looking forward to a time that I can do it more.

Posted by Moogie at 6:24 PM | Comments (7)

February 21, 2006

Questions Answered - Part 1

Peeps, you've done it again. You've come to my rescue and posted some questions for me to answer, which effectively, if not temporarily, gives me an out for my writers block (read charlie horse).

First up to the plate is one of my new found friends, Pam. I've become an avid reader of her site, and not just because she is a lover of dogs. Are those some cute pups or WHAT? Pam has grace and style, and a flair for writing that just draws a reader in. Her blog isn't limited to any type of theme. Instead, she seems to write about whatever crosses her path. I love the variety. And if I didn't love her because of her dogs, I'd totally marry her because she reads Nora Roberts, and has turned me on to a series of books I'd never even heard of before.

I'm game! :)

I've never read a Sue Grafton book. How are they? Why do you like them?

I was introduced to Sue Grafton by my Mother-In-Law, who loved her books. This was probably about 5-6 years ago. I think I got all the way to "D", but am not sure. Then I didn't read her for a while.

When I was sick, the love of my life, picked me up a book so I would have something to read. The main character in these mysteries is Kinsey Millhone. I so want to meet this woman. I do have issues with her peanut butter and pickle sandwiches, but otherwise, she rocks. So I think I went from "D" to "Q." I will be trying to catch up from time to time, so that I can stay in sequence.

I love mysteries, and I love an author who stays with the same character.

You should try her. You don't have to start with the beginning of the alphabet. That's what is really nice.

Ok, that's the first of the questions that were asked of me by my esteemed readers, who ROCK!!!! I will answer the rest in the next few days, maybe even by tomorrow. But tonight? I need to fix the crock pot dinner for tomorrow, and do a couple of other things before the gang gets home.

Tonight is Dad's night with the girls, in which he takes them out and I get to sit on my fat ass bottom, and post things like answers to questions and get dinner prepared for the next night. Or sit on the couch and stare at the ceiling.

I want to get all of this done before they get home because folks, American Idol is on. And we three girls? Totally watch it from start to finish. Personally, I think they should hire us for a weekly commentary, because let me tell you. We LOVE American Idol.

Cool stuff.

Posted by Moogie at 5:45 PM | Comments (5)

This can't be good

This can't be good and I will explain it to you. Quick, I don't have much time. I'm at work, at lunch. Don't get too close, as I don't want to make you gag.

I normally carry a pack of gum in my purse for emergency situations. Like for when my lunch had onions in it. And they were strong. The pack is not there which means that someone stole it (highly unlikely) or I forgot that I had emptied it when I last had gum (probable, because I am forgetful that way).

Wouldn't it be awful if I had to go to a meeting this afternoon in which I was the one that was supposed to be heading it up?

Yeah, that's what I thought too.

Posted by Moogie at 12:25 PM | Comments (2)

February 20, 2006

The well runneth dry

I have been sitting here in front of my monitor for the past 15 minutes and I can't think of anything worthwhile to say. Not that I have much to say that could be counted as bouts of wisdom, but I have no subject. There is no one home at the moment. All is quiet. You would think that I would be able to come up with something profound and perhaps life altering.

Obviously not.

I really hate the days in which there is nothing to report. Nothing funny or heart wrenching. Today was a normal day. The alarm went off. I hit the snooze button the obligatory 3 times, and got up. I went into work, got alot done, and I suspect this was because many people had the day off. It was a good day.

I listened to a co-worker complain about how awful she felt, and how she needed to go to the doctor (and she did sound horrible). When I asked her why she didn't go, she said she was going to wait until tomorrow and see how she felt. Under normal circumstances, I would have shrugged this off and considered it normal but she has been sick since last week. I hope I don't sound too harsh, but I won't feel sorry for you if you have been sick for a week, and are no better than you were five days ago, but still refuse to see a doctor. Your problem. Please don't breath on me.

So you see, I'm not really writing a post, because I don't have anything to say. If you have anything you would like to hear about, please feel free to post the question here.

I'm looking for handouts peeps. I will even give you a linky-love if you come up with something good.

Posted by Moogie at 5:52 PM | Comments (9)

February 19, 2006

Sunshine with a chance of showers

SURPRISE!!!

Our next door neighbors will be leaving for a new life next week. The husband is being transferred to California. They are a young couple, expecting their first child in June. They are moving to an area which I am very familiar with, having spent the better part of my life there. It felt good giving them tips on areas to check for housing, as well as names of doctors for the upcoming arrival of the new baby.

Today we threw a shower for Mrs. B. The intent was to make it a surprise, and let me tell you, that was alot easier said than done. We pulled it off quite well, and had a great time. She really got alot of good stuff. She's off to a good start.

In a way, I envy them, going to someplace completely foreign to them. I was in that position a little more than two years ago. It was exciting, terrifying, and stressful, all rolled up into one gigantic ball. I was worried that I was making the wrong decision by moving my family away from everything that they had ever known. My husband was behind the move (job transfer) 100% and I couldn't have asked for a better partner beside me in our journey.

Now, here we are, settled into a new house, job, school, and area. We've made alot of friends these last two years, and continue to discover new things as we explore.

Yes, I envy them, but I don't regret our decision to move from California. I don't regret it at all.

Posted by Moogie at 10:20 AM | Comments (3)

February 16, 2006

Captain Avengette and her mighty sidekick Penelope

My name is Captain Avengette, and this is my sidekick Penelope. You may never have heard of us, but if you pick on my little sisterPenelope, you will. "I" am the only one who is allowed to torment her.

Can someone tell me what is up with that? Generally, these two get along like snot on a kleenex. In other words, really well, but that .09% of the time when they fight? I want to trade them in for a few more dogs. I once almost talked a cashier at the grocery store to taking them, but she wanted a warranty. I'm sorry, but my kids come as-is. Hell, I would send them with clothes and months supply of snacks. What more do you want?

I was just thinking how protective siblings can be of one another. "You can mess with me all you want, but if you mess with my sister, you'll have me to deal with." And it goes both ways.

It's actually quite comforting, this whole protective thing. It tells me that deep down, even though I would have to pull all of their teeth to get them to admit it, they really do love each other.

We must be doing something right.

Posted by Moogie at 6:09 PM | Comments (7)

February 15, 2006

When life gets tough

Sometimes, when life gets tough, it's good to have a friend to sit with.

Meelie and Ralph

Posted by Moogie at 3:41 PM | Comments (8)

King Arthur and the Witch

Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him but was moved by Arthur's youth and ideals. So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer and, if after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death.

The question?...What do women really want? Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than death, he accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by year's end.

He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everyone: the princess, the priests, the wise men and even the court jester. He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer.

Many people advised him to consult the old witch, for only she would have the answer.

But the price would be high; as the witch was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.

The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no choice but to talk to the witch. She agreed to answer the question, but he would have to agree to her price first.

The old witch wanted to marry Sir Lancelot, the most noble of the Knights of the Round Table and Arthur's closest friend!

Young Arthur was horrified. She was hunchbacked and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc He had never encountered such a repugnant creature in all his life.

He refused to force his friend to marry her and endure such a terrible burden; but Lancelot, learning of the proposal, spoke with Arthur.

He said nothing was too big of a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life and the preservation of the Round Table.

Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the witch answered Arthur's question thus:

What a woman really wants, she answered....is to be in charge of her own life.

Everyone in the kingdom instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth and that Arthur's life would be spared.

And so it was, the neighboring monarch granted Arthur his freedom and Lancelot and the witch had a wonderful wedding.

The honeymoon hour approached and Lancelot, steeling himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But, what a sight awaited him. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen lay before him on the bed. The astounded Lancelot asked what had happened.

The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared as a witch, she would henceforth, be her horrible deformed self only half the time and the beautiful maiden the other half.

Which would he prefer? Beautiful during the day....or night?

Lancelot pondered the predicament. During the day, a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old witch? Or, would he prefer having a hideous witch during the day, but by night, a beautiful woman for him to enjoy wondrous intimate moments?

What would YOU do?

What Lancelot chose is below. BUT....make YOUR choice before you click on the extended entry below.

Noble Lancelot said that he would allow HER to make the choice herself.

Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time because he had respected her enough to let her be in charge of her own life.

Now....what is the moral to this story?

The moral is.....

If you don't let a woman have her own way things are going to get ugly.

Posted by Moogie at 3:37 PM | Comments (4)

February 14, 2006

That had to hurt!

It's funny how, when I am healthy, I dream of a little time off from the family. I don't even have to have anything exciting planned. I just yearn for the solitude.

So, what happens when I follow the doctor's orders and rest? I am so totally bored out of my skull peeps. Yesterday, it was a lose-lose situation. I would rest, especially if I had taken some pain medication. When I woke up, I would be all-over stiff and achy from lying down. So I would walk around to loosen up, and I would get dizzy. So then I would sit in front of the monitor until the pain increased to an intolerable level, and at that time I'd go lay down.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Today, I am much better and for the majority of the time I have been able to remain upright. My gait has changed from that of a hump backed ogre with the shuffle, to that of a 96 year old woman with a shuffle, minus the hump. It does feel good to stand up straight again. That way I don't have to be reminded of how bad I need to vacuum.

Posted in the extended entry is the reason I don't like IVs. Well, that and because there are needles involved.

Posted by Moogie at 4:54 PM | Comments (9)

February 13, 2006

ER Blogging

I spent the majority of my day in the Emergency Room yesterday. It's time like these (hurry up and wait) that I wish I would have either had a laptop or a book.

I've got an attack (the doctor calls it episode) of diverticulitis going on (again). So they do the normal tests (blood work, urinalysis), and then hook me up to an IV. This served as a means to get some fluid into my body (they didn't want me to get dehydrated), as well as a good place to administer some pain medications.

Peeps, they gave me some good drugs.

They then took me down to get a CT scan, after I had drunk a 32 oz cup of something that resembled Crystal Light. Much better than the barium I had to drink last time.

CT Scans are really no big deal. I describe it as a huge doughnut. The plus side was that my husband got to come in the room, and stand by the tech so he could see what was going on. It was interesting to listen to the explanations of the equipment and the dye, and how they all react. I hadn't heard all of that before.

When they shoot the dye into you, your body gets warm all over; it's not an unpleasant feeling, just odd. And then you get the feeling you wet yourself. I don't think I'll ever get used to that.

So, the result? Yes I have diverticulitis. And yes, it hurts. I've got antibiotics and pain meds and will have to stay out of work for the next three days, at a minimum.

Posting will probably be light in the next couple of days because I'm having trouble sitting up for long periods of time. If you want to get a set of keys, feel free to email me and I'll make sure I place them under a mat.

For now? I need to go lay down. There's a pillow in my bedroom calling out my name.

Posted by Moogie at 3:29 PM | Comments (13)

February 9, 2006

How does Mom do that?

I was fortunate to be raised in a family full of love and support. I will be the first to admit it. When I was in my teens, and probably early 20's or so, I of course, went through the period in which I believed my parents knew nothing. I was cocky, and pretty much knew it all. They couldn't tell me anything. I put up with them because I loved them.

And then? I grew up. Things changed and I found myself going to my folks for advice, support, awe poor babies, or just unconditional love. I had all of this my entire life, but was just too dumb to realize it.

I email or talk to my mom often (not nearly enough though) and quite often find myself whining to her. Why? It's because she is always supportive of me. I may not like what she has to say, but after I've calmed down and got over myself, I find that she is spot-on in her observations.

She has the ability to put a positive spin on most everything. You have to admire someone like that.

I had been emailing my mom about the girls, and the trouble I was having. In this case, it was one child in particular. I felt like I was at the end of an already frayed rope. In my usual, mature way, I dumped on her. And in her usual way, she wrote a response that really helped me see that there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

I would like to share something about my daughter, who I loved very much. She had a marvellous vivid imagination & often lived in a dream world. Sometimes it was so real, she acted as though it actually occurred. She also had a problem with facing the truth and when pinned down would lie to me.

This was very frustrating and I had difficulty in finding a way to help her. I made errors in trying to correct her, but I never gave up on her because I loved her too much. To me this is what mothers do, no matter how frustrating the situation, you give love, set rules & stick to them & do the best you can, to help your daughter. It may take a long time until you see results, but when they come, it is worth all the frustration & work you have done.

So when you feel down about the girls, take a minute and remember that you too had problems as a child & look how well you turned out.

You know, I was really following this until she said it was me.

Posted by Moogie at 5:56 PM | Comments (10)

February 8, 2006

Duh Moments

I consider myself to be an intelligent person. I know how to dress myself, I know proper hygiene, I know how to set a table, and I know which side of the road to drive on. I really do have common sense, but there are times that I would find that difficult to prove. Hard to believe, no?

Let me give you an example.

We have been working with Chickie on her memory, or more importantly, her lack thereof. Plus the fact that when she doesn't like something, she simply ignores it and does not do it.

"I don't like doing it, it's hard." Now how many of us have heard that? My response is pretty much a standard parent thing; "I know you don't, but you have to do it anyway. There are alot of things in life I don't want to do, but I know they have to be done, so I do them" or some variation of that.

I was taking her home from dance lessons last night and she mentioned something about her agenda book. The one she got at the beginning of the year. I had said something to the effect of "If you don't tell me that you have homework (she quite often says she has none, when in fact, she does), I can't help you make sure you get it done. I always learn about the missing homework after the fact, when I check the grades on-line. This is something that is sure to make me grumpy. Just ask Chickie.

I was fully aware that she got an agenda book (to write down homework and specific events) at the beginning of the year. I pretty much figured she didn't use it so I didn't bother checking. When I finally asked her she said that they fill it out every Monday with all of the homework assignments listed for the week. At the end of the day, the teacher for the last class checks it off and initials it.

Blink, blink, and blink.

So, here I have been hounding her about homework, and getting angry when she lies about it. For no reason.

I know that it's typical of children, and I've talked to several mothers who have children in the 6th grade, or those who have passed it. I know that it's a difficult transition from grade school to Middle School. I know this, I do. But it doesn't stop me from becoming a crack addict.

Well, live and learn. And you know what they say right? That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

Just call me Arnold. I'll be back.

Posted by Moogie at 7:09 PM | Comments (4)

Sick Leave Request

I wonder if this is what my coworker told my boss this morining?

RAWR!!!!

A woman calls her boss one morning and tells him that she is staying home because she is not feeling well.

"What's the matter?" he asks.

"I have a case of anal glaucoma," she says in a weak voice.

"What the hell is anal glaucoma?"

"I can't see my ass coming into work today".

Posted by Moogie at 3:58 PM | Comments (4)

Name that puppy

I need your help once again. My friend Jay, and her other half Jason are trying to figure out a name for their new puppy. This is not your everyday naming type thing my dear peeps. This is a very special puppy, and picking a name for him needs to be done with great care.

And since my readers are caring, supportive, uber-intelligent and beautiful, I thought I would ask you to help.

Won't you go here and cast your vote?

Don't forget to let me know when you've voted.

Posted by Moogie at 7:48 AM | Comments (7)

February 7, 2006

I have issues

Don't you hate it when you wake up about 2am and you can't get back to sleep right away? Don't you hate it when alot of that is caused because pain is wreaking havoc on your shoulder because you have slept on it too long? Of course, you are afraid to move at all because the blood will begin to flow again, causing you to writhe in agony.

And then? You finally get back to sleep and you dream really odd dreams. For example, you dream about Mick Jagger, and his big lips in your face, screaming the National Anthem, and parading his Hadassah Arms.

I'm not saying this happened to me or anything, mind you. I'm just saying.

I read way too many blogs.

Posted by Moogie at 8:14 AM | Comments (8)

February 6, 2006

I only go for the samples

When we lived in California, I went to Costco about 2-3 times a month. I would stock up on paper goods and kids snack foods to be sure, but the main thing I would go there for was their meat.

We, (consisting of the eldest child and I) are not ashamed to admit that another reason we love to go there is for the samples of food. To be fair to us (ok, I'm trying to justify it), we quite often find new things that we want to try. Each time we went, I would let Chickie pick out something different to try (based on the samples). This not only added variety to our dinners, but also allowed Chickie to have some sort of control as to what was going on.

She is a notoriously picky eater. For some reason, letting her choose something new makes it just about the best thing she's ever tasted. The rule in our house is that you don't have to like it, but you do have to try it.

I've been here for 2 years now, and I haven't gone to Costco yet. The nearest one is about an hour away, and quite frankly, I didn't want to go THAT badly.

My girlfriend called me yesterday and took Chickie and I to Sams Club. I'd never been there before, but, at least compared to what I am used to, they are very comparable. Sams is only 33 miles from where I live.

We'll be trying the Chicken Marsala this week, over white rice. Chickie says she'll make extra if you want to stop by.

Oh, and the samples? They are just as good as the one's you find at Costco.

Posted by Moogie at 6:59 PM | Comments (10)

February 5, 2006

Recipes

In his latest post, Elisson has pointed us to Janet and Wylie, who have recently entered blogdum. If you don't walk away hungry after reading some of these recipes, I would be surprised.

I've added them to the "Recipe" blogroll that I have recently put up. If you have any recipe sites, or recipes you would like to share, please let me know. I will add it to the list. I'd like to get a collection of recipes/sites that are my reader's favorites. If it is one of your recipes, post it to your blog (that means you too Mr. E), and then send me the link.

Happy cooking, or if you are the recipient, happy eating!

Posted by Moogie at 4:39 PM | Comments (2)

February 4, 2006

I Want to Join the Bad Example Clan Because..

There, that should do it (sorry, I had to fulfill a requirement by using that title. I'm hoping to be initiated into a top secret club).

I received this little ditty from my folks. I'm thinking it's just about spot on. What about you?

1. Ziploc Bags are Male, because they hold everything in, but you can see right through them.
2. Copiers are Female, because once turned off; it takes a while to warm them up again. It's an effective reproductive device if the right buttons are pushed, but can wreak havoc if the wrong buttons are pushed.
3. A Tire is Male, because it goes bald and it's often over-inflated.
4. A Hot Air Balloon is Male, because, to get it to go anywhere, you have to light a fire under it, and of course, there's the hot air part.
5. Sponges are Female, because t hey're soft, squeezable and retain water.
6. A Web Page is Female, because it's always getting hit on.
7. A Subway is Male, because it uses the same old lines to pick people up.
8. An Hourglass is Female, because over time, the weight shifts to the bottom.
9. A Hammer is Male, because it hasn't changed much over the last 5,000 years, but it's handy to have around.
10. A Remote Control is Female. Ha! You thought it'd be male, didn't you? But consider this - it gives a man pleasure, he'd be lost without it, and while he doesn't always know the right buttons to push, he keeps trying!

Posted by Moogie at 5:26 PM | Comments (12)

Conversations with a human in the making

I was chatting with a friend today and we were laughing about the differences in our children.

It all started with Chickie. When I would pick Chickie up from daycare and then later school, I would ask her how her day went. The basic questions, nothing difficult. What was the best part of your day? What was the worst? And the list goes on. I continued that tradition on with Meelie, and, I get pretty much the same response.

Meelie's response is in italics.

How was your day?

Fine.

What was the best thing you did in school today?

Lunch.

Ok, what was the next best thing?

Recess.

And then?

After school daycare.

Alrighty then, moving right along, what was the worst part of your day?

Going to school.

How was tutoring?

Meh, ok.

Is it getting better?

No, not really.

Is it hard?

Yes!

Why?

Because they make you do hard stuff!

That's good! Soon you will be smarter than me!

Moooom, are you not listening. Miss Tutoring Teacher is really mean!

How's that?

She always yells at us.

Wow! That is mean! What does she do?

I told you! She makes us do hard work and she yells at us!

What did you do to make her yell at you?

Argh! Aren't you listening to me?

And so it goes. Heh. It drives you crazy and you think you will never break the barrier, but I'm here to tell you that it does work. Chickie pretty much tells me everything now, without any prodding. Down to her last pottie trip and how much it hurt. And no, I'm not kidding.

Nor am I complaining. The whole idea of me starting early with communication, is to make sure we have it when they are older.

Is it worth it? Heck yeah. I look forward to the day when they both follow me in the bathroom and tell me about their day.

Posted by Moogie at 8:00 AM | Comments (2)

February 3, 2006

I didn't know that

I hitched a ride with my lovely sister Leslie today, and we stopped off here for a brief visit.

People who live a virtual life don't have actual experiences. Their blogs tend to reflect that.

I can't understand why people are so hungry to share their every waking thought with the rest of the world -- and I certainly don't understand why people are interested in reading these musings, personal details and outright lies.

I feel a bit sorry for Ms. Amy because she's obviously not had the wonderful experiences I have with my friends in the blog world. I've met some of them face to face, and some I communicate with via email or just the comments in my blog. Some, I have no contact with at all, but read their blogs regularly. I feel a certain kinship with all of them, and if that's pathetic, then I'm all for it.

My life is very real. I have a real husband, two beautiful daughters, skads of animals and a fantastic job. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. I regularly and proudly post about my children, and anything else in between.

So tell me my loyal peeps, are we living a lie?

Discuss.

Posted by Moogie at 12:09 PM | Comments (15)

She's back

I meant to do this yesterday but ran out of time. Good thing too as I was developing and unsightly tick.

You go girl!

Posted by Moogie at 12:01 PM

February 2, 2006

Testing results

So many of you have emailed me in regards to the results of testing for Meelie. For that, I thank you. Your words of support have meant so much to me. You helped me calm my fears of being a failure as a mother. I can never thank you enough.

Today we had the meeting in regards to Meelie and the results from the testing by the speech therapist. The answers were not what I expected.

It seems we have an above-average intelligent child. In all of the tests she took, she scored way beyond her grade level. Go figure. I am ashamed to admit that I had hoped otherwise. I wanted a tangible fix. Something I could work on with my child. But that was not to be the case.

She aced all of the tests, and apparently, then some. For example, her understanding of vocabulary is about the age of a 15 year old. No, I'm not kidding. They gave her a list of words, and she kept answering then correctly until she got to the point of a 15 year old.

Yeah, that was my thought.

She's not bored, or at least that they could tell. Her problem is more on focus, or not so much focus but organization. Her organizational skills seem to fall right in line with her mother's. I have none.

The speech therapist and the teacher were wonderful. They gave us ideas on how to help with that. How to help her work more independently, because in 3rd grade, there is supposed to be a huge transition.

They gave me some tips about helping her deal with that. For example, make up a chart. Put some every-day tasks on it like doing homework and other chores. Give her goals to shoot for, with a reward (and it doesn't have to be tangible) to work for. Use a timer, and get her used to a schedule.

Meelie and I talked about the chart we would make. I gave her no details of the meeting, nor did I tell her there was even a meeting. She really warmed to the idea of the chart. We'll be making that up this weekend and buying some stickers to go with it. Any advice here is welcome.

So that's it. Like I said, I'm so disappointed there wasn't something I could fix. I am a fixer. A helper. Only there is nothing really tangible to fix. And that frustrates me. I don't know how to deal with that.

Again, thank you for your support. You guys rock, and I can't tell you that enough.

Posted by Moogie at 6:03 PM | Comments (9)

Word of the Day

abulia • \ay-BOO-lee-uh\ • noun : abnormal lack of ability to act or to make decisions

Hmmm...don't tell me. This sounds quite familiar. I know someone like this. Give me a minute, it will come to me.

Example sentence: "Ever since Mommy got home from work, she seems to be suffering from abulia-she just can't decide what to make for dinner," exclaimed her husband.

And that's just deciding between chicken and pork chops (or grilled cheese and hot dogs-three points if you get the reference).

Did you know? "I must have a prodigious quantity of mind," Mark Twain once wrote. "It takes me as much as a week, sometimes, to make it up." The indecision Twain laments is fairly common; only when inability to make decisions reaches an abnormal level does it have an uncommon name: "abulia."

I think that Mark Twain and I must be related. Though I'm not sure it would take me a week to make most decisions. If I get that bad I just tell my huband/friend to make the decision for me.

The English term we use today comes from a New Latin word that combines the prefix "a-," meaning "without," with the Greek word "boulē," meaning "will." "Abulia" can refer to the kind of generalized indecision that makes it impossible to choose what flavor ice cream you want, though it was created to name a severe medical disorder that can render a person nearly inert.

I don't have that much trouble with ice cream (I only like a couple of flavors) but when I go shopping I have a hard time deciding what I want to buy. Which blouse should I choose? Hell, I generally just buy them both to save myself some pain (hush Suzanne).

Is it only me, or am I the only one who suffers from abulia?

Posted by Moogie at 8:10 AM | Comments (4)

February 1, 2006

Not Cancer

Well, Donnie over at Cadillac Tight got the results of his biopsy back and it's not cancer!

Thank you to all of you who kept him in your thoughts and prayers.

Posted by Moogie at 3:42 PM | Comments (2)

Read-In

Last night we went to the read-in at Meelie-No's school. It was very well done, albeit a bit unorganized. They also changed some things around.

Instead of Grilled Cheese and Chili, they had Hot Dogs and Chili. Instead of S'mores and Hot Chocolate, they had Roasted Marshmallows and Hot Chocolate. And the kids couldn't roast the marshmallows themselves.

I know, that as adults, we shrug our shoulders about these changes. We forge ahead with the evening, having no clue that our children just had the rug ripped out from underneath them.

Heather, you know where I'm going with this. Jay, this is one of the reasons I understand why you don't want to have children.

First off? Hello? When you have a child that has been waiting the entire life to go to the read-in and eat grilled cheese sandwiches, you do not exchange said grilled cheese sandwiches for hot dogs. Hot dogs are so yesterday man. I am surprised that an event that was run by teachers would even plan to do something like this without informing the kids before hand (and heavily medicating them before it began). And then? The whole S'mores fiasco. Peeps, I thought we were going to have some rioting. You know, I completely understood not letting the kids roast their own marshmallows, and I agree with it (don't tell my kids that I said that because they will hit me). That was a concern of mine anyway and I wasn't sure how I was going to get around it. But they didn't even have chocolate bars OR graham crackers. The older kids were dressing down some of the teachers over that one.

Now, on to the reading. That was really good stuff. They broke down the kids into two different age groups. The younger children headed on out to the media center (that's Library to all of you old farts). The first reader was a slim, gray haired grandfatherly type of man who read Horton Hears a Who. He was good but he had nothing on the next reader, who works at the High School as the Drama Instructor. He read The Cat in the Hat, and he was absolutely hysterical. He really got the kids going.

Even though I joked about the last minute changes in food (which was a big deal to the kids, but nothing that didn't smooth over quickly), the evening was a huge success. I was impressed with the turn out. Each child got a bookmark and a pencil to commemorate the event, which was pretty cool (even though I didn't get one).

I really enjoy functions such as these because it gives me the opportunity to support my children in after school activities. That, and I don't have to cook dinner on those nights.

Posted by Moogie at 11:45 AM | Comments (2)

In the mail bag

This one's for T1G.

After their 11th child, an Alabama couple decided that they had enough, as they could not afford a larger bed. So the husband went to his Veterinarian and told him that he and his cousin didn't want to have any more children.

The doctor told him that there was a procedure called a vasectomy that could fix the problem, but that it was expensive. "A less costly alternative," said the doctor, "is to go home, get a cherry bomb (fireworks are legal in Alabama), light it, put it in a beer can, then hold the can up to your ear and count to 10."

The Alabaman said to the doctor, "I may not be the smartest tool in the shed, but I don't see how putting a cherry bomb in a beer can next to my ear is going to help me."

"Trust me," said the doctor.

So the man went home, lit a cherry bomb, put it in a beer can, held it up to his ear and began to count:

"1"

"2"

"3"

"4"

"5"

At which point he paused, placed the beer can between his legs, and
resumed counting on his other hand.

This procedure also works in Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Vermont, West Virginia and Washington,D.C.

Posted by Moogie at 11:39 AM | Comments (2)

Bears in Bars

A bear walks into a bar in Billings, Montana and sits down. He bangs on the bar with his paw an d demands a beer.

The bartender approaches and says, "We don't serve beer to bears in bars in Billings."

The bear, becoming angry, demands again that he be served a beer.

The bartender tells him again, more forcefully, "We don't serve beer to belligerent bears in bars in Billings."

The bear, very angry now, says, "If you don't serve me a beer, I'm going to eat that lady sitting at the end of the bar."

The bartender says, "Sorry, we don't serve beer to belligerent, bully bears in bars in Billings"

The bear goes to the end of the bar, and, as promised, eats the woman. He comes back to his seat and again demands a beer.

The bartender states, "Sorry, we don't serve beer to belligerent, bully bears in bars in Billings who are on drugs."

The bear says, "I'm NOT on drugs."

The bartender says:

"You are now. That was a barbitchyouate!"

Posted by Moogie at 7:25 AM | Comments (3)