All a-flutter

As the B's would say, Happy Valentimes Day. The current state of my living room looks like valentine's threw up all over the place. I attribute that to too much candy. Notice how I'm talking to you instead of cleaning up that disaster. Moving on...

(I've also just noticed an onion behind the computer... I'm very confused.)

Going through my head at this very second is the following:
I wonder how to upload pictures on my blog... could I do that from my phone?
It's a little chilly in here, not that I'm complaining. It's almost 70 outside and this morning I was literally cooking I was so hot, so the A/C is up and kicking.
My dogs need a bath. And a haircut. And probably tons of other stuff that I don't want to think about right now.

(great, now my eyes are stinging because I know the onion is there. That's not cool.)

Boudreaux has basketball practice tonight. I MAY just work out while we're there. I'm not sure I'd count on that though. I AM actually working out now. I bet my Wii Fit is stunned with all the use it's been getting. Feldie and I are thinking about getting an Elliptical Machine for his birthday. I'm currently devising ways to keep the B's off of it. Buttercup tried out all the machines at Academy last weekend and got in the car and said "whew! I lost weight!" I wish it was that easy.

Last night, Buttercup had a spa night. Bug was not happy about it and decided to forgo our attempt at potty-training. *sigh* I worry some about Buttercup being the middle child. You hear all this conflicting stuff about middle-children. Feldie is the oldest in his family. I'm the youngest/only. My sisters are my half sisters and 9 and 11 years older than me. They also lived with their mom primarily. It's an interesting, though I'm sure common, dynamic. When I see them or talk to them I get to play the youngest sister role. When I don't, I act like an only child. I can happily read and not notice that there isn't anything to "do". So between Feldie and I, we have Boudreaux and Bug covered. He's been the older brother. I've been the youngest sister. But neither of us have been the middle child. So, in an effort to give Buttercup some Buttercup time, we had a spa night. We did a hot oil treatment on her antenna to try and tame the wild curls. I taught her how to wash her little face with her very own face wash. We did a sugar scrub on our hands. We put mousse in her curly antenna and very carefully dried it. Then she got a lotion massage. She was a happy B. She's decided she likes pampering, although when I told her that "pampering" meant "being taken care of" and she told me she was pampered every day because I always took care of her. She made my heart smile. Bug, however, was not pleased to not be in on the pampering. Maybe one day I'll have a spa day for her, but at 2 I'm not sure it would be appreciated for what it is. Now I want a spa day. Like a REAL one. A facial (which I've never had and I'd love to try!) and a massage (of which I've had plenty and I LOVE.) I'm not the hostage who likes pedicures, and my nails are real, so it doesn't make sense to pay for a manicure as I am capable of washing my own hands, thank you. Not that I'd turn it down. Well, the pedicure I'd turn down. As much as I like to have my feet rubbed (during my massages.) I don't like any of the other standard pedicurey things.

I've suddenly run out of things to say... That was an interesting experience. So I'm off to fold clothes. I'm down to just sheets to wash, (hooray!) but that always means more laundry is about to miraculously appear. It's like rabbits in there. It just multiplies.

Thank Goodness for central hive heating!

ALRIGHT! I know! One would think that somewhere in the past 6 months I would've found the time to post something. For Pete's sake. (and really. Does anyone know who Pete is? Other than being Betsy's friend? you know, Betsy. From Heaven's to Betsy? yeah, that one.) Now that you're thinking about something else and have forgotten any irritation from my bad blogging skills, we'll move on.
(and I blame my non-blogging on my phone. I do everything from my iPhone. "Everything" meaning Facebook, games, talking and the occasional e-mail check. And e-mail is lower on my list than blogging, believe it or not. Count yourselves lucky. All 2 of you. You too, random reader. Lucky, lucky readers.

In the past 6 months, my random meter has been fairly even. Which is a little sad, as I count on randomness to keep me sane inside this hive. My two oldest B's (Bourdreaux and Buttercup) buzz off to school every morning and buzz back in the afternoon. They are bus riding B's, in case you're curious. I have yet to figure out what takes so long between the getting-on-the-bus and the being-deposited-in-front-of-the-house. The school is 4 blocks away. TOPS. Yet it takes Buttercup 15-ish minutes to get home and Boudreaux takes 30. grrrrr. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to wait outside on the bench on the porch of the hive. But they are flighty little B's. If I'm not out there staring at them when they get off the bus, there's no telling where they'd end up in addition to the massive amount of trouble they'd land in. But it wouldn't be good, I can guarantee you. Baby B, aka Bug, tested herself right out of speech therapy a few weeks ago. I'm about to change her name from "Baby B" to "Babbly B" because she finds a topic and she's off and running. She and Buttercup also have started to share the bed. Which would work out fine if we could trust them to lay there and go to sleep. Instead, Buttercup goes to sleep on her side of the bed, Bug goes to sleep sprawled out on Feldie or I on the couch and then gets carried to bed, which leads to lots of tripping on the little girl B accouterments and straightening Buttercup out because she's a bed traveler. Between the two of them sleeping every whichy-way, it's a wonder they don't both wind up on the floor.
Boudreaux and Buttercup play basketball on an Upwards league. (it's a church league. The rules drive me insane and while I get it, I don't get it.) Feldie is their coach, which translates to him coaching two teams, which translates to two nights of practice and my Saturdays being shot. They're pretty decent at it, which is surprising. Both of them have had to try to control themselves. Boudreaux is an aggressive little B when it comes to sports. Buttercup, who is actually the aggressive B in life in general, strangely isn't when it comes to games. She'd rather do cartwheels when she thinks no one is looking. (or maybe it's a strategic distraction move.... I wouldn't put it past her.) One time, in one game we saw her get MAD. Lucky for that kid, he was bigger and a smidge faster than she was because she had plans to catch him and bap that ball off his face. (I say "bap" because I'm guessing that's the sound it would make. Which would be incredibly entertaining for me, but I'm sure it's frowned upon.) Feldie and I were (probably inappropriately) proud that she got mad. I'm also thinking, this is probably the last season she'll play. Instead, we've got her in gymnastics (so she can be a flippy B) and softball, which I've just realized will make her an armed B. She'll have a bat. She has fairly good aim, as evidenced by the time she hit one of my mother-in-laws (I have 2) in the face with a lime. That's a long story. I'll sum it up by saying my mother-in-law was swimming, she came up for a breath, Buttercup had been checking out the lime tree, threw it at just the right second and wham. Right in the kisser. (well, in the forehead, but still.) Everyone kind of froze. (and mentally awarded the appropriate amount of points. We randomly give out points. I'm giving you points right now, and when I tally them all up, I'll notify you if you're a winner.) Everyone got points that day.
Lately, in my Southern situated hive, it's been crazy weather-wise. We've already had 2 snow days, which is unheard of, and more accumulation than I've ever seen. Today it went from chilly to downright bitter in a matter of hours. Since my particular brand of B's don't hibernate (darn it), I'm extremely grateful for the central heating in my hive. (she says as she sits at the computer wrapped up in a ridiculously comfy and well priced blanket from Target that was on clearance.) I don't mind the cold and the occasional snow. I just wish it would PICK A SEASON. It's chilly, it's warm, it's raining, oh look snow!, it's bitter. For Pete's sake. (hey look. There's Pete again.) It's enough to drive an already a little unbalanced hive hostage BATTY.
My birthday was at the end of the year. Which makes me... another year older. In age. I've noticed that maturity doesn't necessarily come with age. I may be as old as I am, but I'm still unconcerned with how others view me and therefore act younger. Which can be a good thing or a bad thing, I guess. Buttercup had a birthday, so she's a 7 year old B. Boudreaux and Feldie's birthdays are fast approaching, which will turn them into a 9 year old B and the same age as me.
This was kind of a boring post, wasn't it? I'd forgotten how much fun I had blogging and being able to voice my observations the way they're actually formed in my head. I'm going to have to get back into this! With any luck that means I'll post more often and not wait another 6 months.

Oh, and a big Welcome to my Superfriend's newest addition. Which makes 4 little ones in that house. (she doesn't have B's. She has another species altogether. A little aquatic species.) She's a marvel and an inspiration to me and I wish we lived closer. This hive gets stuffy!

I can't hear myself think over all this buzzing!

I'm a bad blog owner. My apologies. I'm also a bad speller and just sat and looked at the word "apologies" and wondered if it was right. No red squigly line and I'm no longer concerned. Sorry for the delay, hopefully I'll start keeping up with this more.

I mentioned before I would introduce you to each of my B's individually. I will. But this isn't it. I WILL, though. Soon..er or later.
It's summertime. Which means my hive has shrunk. Three B's buzzing around here day and night causes one to fall into a daze. I enjoy having them here, mind you. But I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I've been counting down the days until school starts. I'd also be lying if I didn't admit that I started my countdown on their last day of school. (6 weeks from today, if you'd like to join me in my countdown...) *sigh* But this summer has been eventful. Feldie and I decided to play softball for our church. The season started 3 weeks ago. (maybe?) We haven't played a game yet. Tonight is a game. If Feldie gets home from work early enough, we may just make it. Of course, church league softball doesn't actually practice. And Feldie's never played softball. And I played for all of 5 minutes when I was a kid. So we aren't hopeful that we'll be any good. We shall see.
Summer also means Bug had a birthday! She is now a two year old Buglet! We haven't had her party yet. (that's this coming weekend.) She has gotten a few gifts though... and as soon as I figure out how to get pictures on here, I'll show you her favorite!
Buttercup has been losing teeth right, left and center. Two on top and two on bottom. She's a gappy B! Again, I'm not a technologically savvy hive hostage, but bear with me. I'll figure it out!
Boudreaux went to church camp for 4 days. He had tons of fun. He's also very excited to be going into 3rd grade. He'll be in the Intermediate School now, which is the same building as Buttercup's school (she's still in Primary, and excited about going into 1st) but he'll be upstairs. With a new principal. AND he'll stay at school half an hour longer. Which means if I end up staying home instead of working, Bug and I will pick up Buttercup and then make the block to sit in the Intermediate parking lot until Boudreaux gets out. (again, same building. Different parking lots.) Unless I just throw in the towel and stick them on the bus. (and now that I think about it, that's not a bad idea...) OR I could just suck it up and walk up there and get them. Which I should probably do... *sigh* again. I'm such a motivated person that I astound even myself. I'm currently not listening to the part of me that says "what if it rains?! or snows, even? Don't you remember that snow storm last winter? Is it really a good idea to try to walk to the school and back with Bug? Nevermind that she's two and her B feet work perfectly well! Being a hostage has made you CRAZY!" I guess we'll see how that turns out.
My friend from college, who is also a blogger and is responsible for my driving you nuts, is such an inspiration. I'd love to do all the things she does. (like walking my kids to school, perhaps. Although her kids aren't old enough for school yet. But I bet she would.) I could be a healthy hostage! Maybe the incessant buzzing wouldn't drive me into a stupor as easily! Maybe I could have a redecorated hive!! (hey, exercise is rumored to give you energy, right?!) AND it would be a good lesson to teach the B's about becoming more green in addition to giving them a little more exercise which would lead to an easier, maybe even earlier, bedtime! I mean, more healthy B's!!
But I do have 6 weeks to reach a decision. Now I just need to figure out how to transfer pictures from my smarter-than-me-iPhone (but I'm gaining on it!) to my much-smarter-than-me link to life outside the hive. (the computer)
As for the buzzing, it's getting louder. That's my cue.

The Problem with Hives...

So Buttercup is quite possibly the slowest child I've ever met. Feldie (my husband) and I can ask her to do... anything, and she will drag her feet and get distracted and forget what we asked her and blah blah blah, and all the while we're slowly going insane. "Buttercup, go put on your shoes so we can go get something to eat." shuffle shuffle shuffle, dddrrrrrraaaaaaaggggggggg, wander wander wander and we find her sitting on her bed. (AAAUUUGGGHHH!) "Buttercup, bring me all your dirty clothes so I can get them in the wash." ... nothing. I poke, I prod, I bribe, I raise my voice, I resort to threats, I take things away, all to no avail. It's not like I ask her to do something with a small window of time in which to finish whatever it is. She gets plenty of time to do whatever it is that needs to be done. BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER. Buttercup does not have a problem that would cause her to be soooo slllooooowwww. She just moves on Buttercup-time. Where one of her minutes is equal to anywhere from 5 to 30 normal minutes. I've tried less time, I've tried more time....nothing seems to flip her switch into "go" mode. So this morning, I used a new tactic.
Life inside the hive is very... safe. Protected. As it should be. However, eventually my little B's will not live inside this hive. They will have to go and find a new hive. Their own hive. Located in the huge matrix of hives that make up the world. And they will have to be able to survive on "the outside". So, Buttercup learned a lesson today. This little hostage inside the hive that they call "Momma" is done wracking her brain trying to figure out what makes each of my individual B's tick. Oh, I'm not saying that I'm going militant on them. Or making them conform to be exactly the kinds of B's that I think they should be. (well behaved, selfless, smart, giving everything their all B's.) But I am saying that outside this hive is the Real World. and the Real World (anyone else hear that ominous "da-da-daaah" sound?) has Real World consequences. And each of my little B's are smart enough to avoid said consequences with the help of Feldie and I. And all they have to do is... ready? because this is the hard part.... listen. That's right. Just listen. They don't have to knit me a sweater. Or build themselves a hive from the ground up. Or do anything crazy. Just LISTEN. Because if they don't, they will then get to deal with the Real World consequence. (there is was again! It's like I'm in a suspense movie! "da da daaaahhh")
This morning, like every morning, I woke my little B's up. For Boudreaux, that takes up all of 30 seconds of my morning. I go in, turn on the light, say "Good Morning, Boudreaux! It's time to get up and get ready." and that little B stretches and gets out of bed, does his morning routine, picks out his own clothes (which I sometimes veto, but not often, as he's surprisingly good at it) feeds the dogs (when he remembers, and he's getting better about it) and stands at the door with his backpack ready to go. For Buglet, this includes quietly picking her up, making sure she has a clean Buggy Bottom, throwing a shirt on her (because Bug likes to be a mostly naked Bug and so sleeps best in nothing but her diaper. and makes me spend the rest of the night going and covering her back up because she kicks her blanket off. And mine if she winds up in bed with us..) and buckling her into her Baby B safety device because, honestly, she's too little to test out her little wings. But Buttercup, on the other hand, is a Nocturnal B. She's the B that will stay awake, and for the most part stay pretty happy about it, until the last possible second. She is not a morning B. (and neither is the hostage. Meaning me.) Buttercup would prefer to not see the morning. EVER. So, Buttercup goes to bed a little earlier than the other B's so that she can be woken up a little earlier than the other B's to allow her time to wander into the land of the living because, as we've already established, she's a slow mover. But on this particular morning, Buttercup and the world were not at peace with one another. So I woke up Miss Buttercup about 10 minutes before the other B's. (this hostage slept in a tiny bit on accident. oops) I then picked out her clothes for the day and all she had to do was sit up, put them on, go to the bathroom, get her ears cleaned (as she is sporting a brand new set of earrings, her first ever which will be a whole other post.) and sit on the couch so that I could do her hair. (Buttercup has curly antennae. and wakes up in the morning resembling a lightning struck bee.. which I'm thinking now, probably doesn't happen very often.) But today, 45 minutes later, Buttercup had managed to... put on a shirt. That's all. Just the shirt. and her jeans around her knees. And this hostage had had enough. Because Buttercup got 5 minute updates of when we were leaving for school. And Buttercup was not fazed in the least. Even after I told her she was running out of time and not to think I wouldn't send her to school with her hair like that. (which she wasn't happy about, by the way. She likes her antennae to be non frizzy.) So..... I told her to put her pj's back on because I wasn't doing this anymore. She was not going to school today. No I didn't care that it was Science Lab day. Nope, didn't even care about her missing her friends. No, there would be no TV watching or laying around. There also would not be a Buttercup in attendance at the "I wasn't absent this 6 weeks" party, because she was, in fact, going to be absent today. Lots of tears followed. I don't like to see my B's cry. But I also want my B's to learn to be big B's and be responsible for themselves. So as we speak, Buttercup is cleaning out from underneath her bed. Frizzy antennae and all. Then she'll be helping fold the laundry and putting clothes away. Then, when Bug-bug goes down for her nap, and the house is all quiet, Buttercup will be laying down too. And she will miss the day in school, and whatever work they did, and whatever fun they had. All because she didn't get a-move-on this morning. All because she didn't listen. And this, is the Real World consequence. (you heard it too, right?) I will also explain this to her teacher and have no problem doing it. Her teacher is already on my short list, which, too, is a whole other post.
Boudreaux has his own Real World consequences to deal with. Last night he lost his math worksheet. Lucky for him (I mean me) I wrote all the problems down of a blank sheet of paper because Boudreaux tends to take a few practice stabs at math before he gets the right answer and with all the erasing and pencil banging, the paper is a mess by the time he's through. Then he would (normally) copy the answers over onto the original to turn in all nice and neat. But not last night. No, last night he lost his original sheet. So he got to re-write all the problems and turn them in on notebook paper. (I was inches away from making him turn in his "practice" sheet, but it was a disaster and he needs all the help he can get in math.) If Boudreaux doesn't "remember" to read at night (I quote that because he has been reading every night for school for the past 2 years) then his reading log does not get signed. And he loses some.. something that his teacher gives out for incentive.
I can understand how this can been considered MEAN. Bad parenting. Whatever. And maybe someone else in this situation would have a different way of doing things that would work out fine. And I've tried them. I've tried reminding them and helping them and holding their little B hands and shielding them from consequences and then explaining to them why. Why that would've been the consequence. Why it is fair. Why other kids get better grades or whatever they happen to be getting that my poor little B's are not. And my little B's listened to what I said, and decided "meh." It didn't convince them to try harder, or practice more, or stop fighting or whatever the "lesson" was at the time. So, they are learning to stand on their own little B feet, with the help and guidance of Feldie and I, who want desperately for them to succeed and thrive. And what better place to learn to do that than in your safe, secure little hive?

Can You Hear Me Now?

So, Bug had an appointment this morning at the Audiologist. There appears to be some speculation as to whether her lack of speech is due to a hearing problem. So we got up and got cute and to the doctor we went. And guess what?! She can hear. (was there any doubt?) Actually, it was pretty cool. The Audiologist mentioned that if any of the results were questionable, there were different tests he could do. Is it wrong of me that I was a little let down when she passed? I kind of wanted to see what else they would do. But alas, her hearing is fine. (probably better than Buttercup's, who actually has a little bit of a hearing problem. At a decibel that my voice doesn't reach which is under what I would consider a "whisper" so it doesn't really come into play.) The test that the guy performed on Buglet was as follows.

1- I sat in a chair in a little booth that advertised different ear plugs, which happened to be the same sort of ear plugs that Buttercup had. But these looked much cooler and I kind of wish we had picked ones like the ones in the poster for her instead of the all-one-color-ones she had. Bug sat in my lap. The Audiologist sat outside the booth, directly in front of us, so we could see him through the little window. There were speakers on either side of us with little black boxes on top of them, and there was a little black box right under the window in front of us. The little black box in front of us lit up. The guy said (through the speakers) "Look at Big Bird!" Bug, I'm sure looked at the box and thought "what the crap is a Big Bird?" because I'm absolutely certain that she has no clue what a Big Bird is. But she looked, so Bug got a check.

2- A static-y sound came out of the speaker to our right. A LOUD static-y sound. Bug looked at the floor under the speaker. (I thought, "uh-oh" followed by "oh goody! we'll get to see the next test!" So it could be said that I slipped temporarily into 'bad momma' thoughts, but I recovered quickly.) The sound continued. The black box on top of the speaker lit up. Ta-da! Minnie Mouse. (who, Bug may actually know, so that was a plus.) Bug pointed and said something in Bug-speak that isn't readily translatable into English and looked at me. Then the sound stopped and Minnie Mouse turned off. Big Bird turned on. Bug was much more interested in Minnie's box, so it took a minute for her to look at Big Bird, who, by this point, had begun to flash. Apparently, Big Bird doesn't like be shown up by some Disney character.

3- Loud static-y sound number 2 came out of the speaker on our left. Bug looked at the floor under that speaker. (again, tiny slip on my part, but I kept a hold on myself.) Sound continued, box on top lit up and there sat Donald Duck. Bug points, speaks in gooble-de-gook and seems genuinely happy to see Donald. (can you tell we live in a house where Disney rules?) Sound stops, Donald goes away. Big Bird immediately starts to flash. (Temper temper, Bird-boy.)

4- continue with static-y sounds and occasional hummy sounds thrown in for good measure. Boxes on tops of the speakers light up as a reward when Bug looks at the speaker and not the floor. And sometimes they pop on to say Hello when Bug looks at them before the sound actually ... sounds. (? was there a different way to say that?! Points if you thought of one.) With the ill tempered bird flashing away in between sounds so Bug would stop looking at the boxes where the Disney heroes waited. Bug seems unfazed.

5- sounds get quieter. Sometimes I can't hear them. But Bug looks, either because she heard it or because she was missing Minnie or Donald and they light up. Big Bad Bird Boy continues to flash with more and more intensity. I think he senses that he's losing, and this does not sit well with him.

6- all sounds and characters stop. Bug, by this time is sooooo over this whole deal that she tries to turn around in my lap and settle in for a nap. (Nap? Now? I can't convince you to nap at home, but we get out in a new place and you decide this would be an ideal time to take a snooze?) Small scuffle, I win, Bug is again facing grumpy pants. I mean Big Bird.

7- the Audiologist covers his mouth with a piece of paper. I'm not sure why, but whatever. Then his voice comes through the speaker on the right saying "Look at Minnie! Where's Minnie?" Bug looks at the floor. (honestly...) She spies Minnie and immediately Minnie turns off. Bug decides this is not cool with her, and she devises a plan.

8- Again, the Audiologist's voice comes through the speaker on our left. At this point I'm really hoping Bug doesn't begin to think this is the voice of God. I want her to know that God would talk about things besides Minnie and Donald. I'm pretty sure now that when I get to Heaven the first thing God will say to me will be about a Disney character.. : ) So, the voice from the great beyond asks Bug to find Donald. Donald, Bug knows, is sitting on top of the mystical blackish thing that the great voice issues from. So she looks at the floor. but I'm watching her and I see her cut her eyes up at Donald. She's crafty enough to not move her head. This gets her approximately 2 more seconds of Donald time. She seems content with that.

9- Big Bird is really steamed at this point. He's practically strobe-like. Bug grants him a courtesy glance which seems to pacify him.

And that concludes the test. We're told she passed and that we can go. I mask my slight disappointment that I can't see what the other tests were, tell Bug to say "Thank you" (she doesn't) and "Bye-bye"(she doesn't do that either) and we head to the car. Where Bug promptly falls asleep. *sigh* My question is, yes, we've established that she can hear. I could have told you that. But how can you tell if she hears clearly? Is there a way to determine that she doesn't hear everything muffled? Does that particular test involve Big Bird in any way? Because I'm feeling that Big Bird is a jealous bird and may need the extra attention.

On the plus side, now I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that one of my B's can hear. That's 33%. Which takes care of that excuse when she gets older.

Bug is currently in melt-down mode. I'm sensing that the 10 minute nap in the car didn't do the trick (yay!) so off I fly to try and convince her that another nap is a wonderful idea. You know, I think I may win this time...

Stolen from Annie's blog

You're supposed to copy and paste into your own blog, then boldface what you've done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (if my Guitar Hero band counts...)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
7. Been to Disneyland/world(both!)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped (twice! I'd do it again in a second!)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (ok, I was driving over a bridge over the harbor. it counts.)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train (I'VE NEVER BEEN ON A TRAIN!)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke(but not in a bar. at someone's house.)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (ok, it was only 1/2 way, but I would've gone all the way if we had time. but we didn't. so I didn't.)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain (finally)
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
65. Gone sky diving (never! I will not jump out of a perfectly good plane. Or out of a doomed one, now that you mention it.)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (springy!)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (roe, caviar. fish eggs are fish eggs in my book. and no sir, I don't like it)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (I was a Surgical Tech. I may have helped, but not on my own)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Some of these things I DEFINITELY want to do. As long as I don't have to jump out of a plane.

Is it just me, or is it stuffy in here?

Ta-da! Look, a 2nd post! I may just be on my way, ladies and gentlemen. (if there are any gentlemen reading this..)

...unfortunately, I've just realized that I don't have much to say. so....

My older B's are home from school. One assuring me that he doesn't have homework because they had a math test today. (groan. I am not good at math.) But, the homework would've been math, so I'm wondering if I should be happy about the lack of math homework, or if I should secretly cringe over the test because, to be honest, math isn't Boudreaux's favorite subject either. Buttercup and Bug are building a... something with the blocks that Bug got for Christmas. And that Buttercup decided to dump half a container of baby powder into. Buttercup is fascinated with baby powder, though I myself find it lacking. But hey, to each their own right? I'm actually glad they are doing some block building. (whoops, might should switch that from building together to Bug opening Bug Bashing One Bug Demolition Crew.) Where was I? Oh yes. I'm glad of the block building because, apparently, Bug is a wee bit behind. I got a letter in the mail today about a "meeting" (which sounds VERY formal, doesn't it?) that's taking place at my house (which kicks the "formal" right out) that I was graciously invited to (I mentioned it was at my house, right?) between myself, a case worker for Early Childhood Intervention and a Speech Therapist. Oh, and Bug has a hearing test tomorrow in town. The nurse referenced the need for the hearing test because Bug had failed hers. To which I nicely cocked my head to the side a la Labrador (as I was on the phone, though my doctors office is used to me by now) and thought to myself "Oh, she did? and where exactly was I when Bug had a hearing test?" but back to the story, apparently Bug failed said hearing test that I somehow missed, so we're going to check her hearing tomorrow. Which I'm sure she'll pass. Watch this... yep. I say "hey Bug" and she looks at me. I think it's to see if she hearing properly which I think they should specify, don't you?

Good Heavens, I hope the neighbors enjoy the Wonder Pets, because it's playing at mach volume.

ok, wait, I'm back. I was gone. I'm sure you all noticed, but I'm here now, so it's ok. Someone had knocked at the door. After my initial panic over the state of the house, and wondering why they were knocking at the laundry room door instead of the front door (which I wouldn't have heard anyway...) I discovered that it was the mail lady. With a birthday package for Buttercup. Her Nana, my husbands mom, had sent and the other B's goodies. (translation: books) And added to Buttercup's Precious Moments collection, which Nana started for her when she was born. Buttercup loves it so she looks forward to seeing what she got. I was then promptly reminded that we promised to take Buttercup to get her ears pierced tomorrow after school. I was sure she had forgotten about it (I sure had) but I guess not. My husband will be so happy. (that sarcasm came through alright, didn't it?)

Has anyone ever wondering why kids ask for things for Christmas and then don't seem to want them anymore? (ok, that's a little off subject, but I'm still talking about books) Boudreaux was begging for a book series, which he got. Which are still unread. (which I don't get. sorry, I had to throw in another "which")

I was going to go on but I just looked over at the girls and noticed that Bug had decided to dump out a bowl of pretzels. (a bowl of pretzels? I don't remember getting the kids a bowl of pretzels...) So now there is salt and pretzel dust all over the little tiny table between our couch recliners. So I'm off to clean that up. Yay me. (again, did the sarcasm come through?)

If you didn't cheer that this post was over you get double points. But everyone gets points just for showing up. and now I'm buzzing off. (HA!)

Oooh! What exactly is a "Mini Boden"? I have a tiny, yet inviting catalouge that came in the mail... I keep thinking I was supposed to be doing something else...