Gene Siskel, I'm Not

I was at a drama meeting the other night and my fellow members were talking about movies they'd seen recently. Pretty much the only movies I see are on DVD and have Disney somewhere in the title. I may never be up on the latest releases (you might recall the last non-kid movie I saw in the theater was Titanic), but I will happily provide you with reviews of really old movies right here on Because I Said So. If you like to watch movies before they're 10 years old, you might want to skip this. If you live in a cave like me and only see movies when they come out on DVD and feature things like animated cucumbers, this is for you.

We recently watched National Treasure Two: Book of Secrets. The older kids and I all really liked it. Of course, we loved the first one too. I don't think little kids would get into it, but it's a good one for the family. Besides, it has Nicholas Cage and Justin Bartha who are, you know - cute.

LET'S ALL GO TO THE LOBBY...

Orville Redenbacher sent me some popcorn. Oh, wait a minute. Orville himself didn't send it to me. Is THE Orville Redenbacher still alive? I'm thinking no. If he is, I doubt he'd think of sending me popcorn in the hopes that I'd talk about it on my blog. Actually, it was the folks who do promoting type stuff for Con Agra who sent it to me. Just wanted to clear that up.

Anyway, so I got this popcorn and we had it for movie night. I actually do use my hot air popper to make popcorn for the kids pretty often. It's inexpensive and it's far healthier than a lot of packaged snacks. When my kids have friends over after school, they always ask for popcorn as a snack. In all fairness, I generally buy Orville Redenbacher popcorn because I bought some generic kind once and I couldn't believe how small the kernals popped. Remember those old commercials, "My gourmet popping corn pops up lighter and fluffier...."? Well, it's true.

But check this out - Natural Popcorn - they now have microwave popcorn without the artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives. It comes in lots of yummy flavors too! Cool, huh?

Ok, so back to movies. We also watched The Spiderwick Chronicles. Soon after we started the movie, we realized it was a little too scary for small kids. We sent Clay and Lex to bed because I didn't want to get up 50 times during the night to listen to their nightmares them to have bad dreams. The movie was pretty good. Kinda predictable, but worth renting. Savannah liked the books better.

This had the kid from Willy Wonka in it. But not the good Willy Wonka with Gene Wilder; the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Johnny Depp looking and acting especially creepy and strange. And my kids looked at me like I was an idiot because I didn't believe them when they said that kid was playing both brothers in the movie. Actually it was dark in the room because we always have to turn off all the lights and drag out every pillow and blanket when we watch movies for some reason. But if the lights had been on and I'd been able to actually see, I know they would've looked at me like I was an idiot.

Let's see, after the next batch of kids went to bed, we watched Jumper. It's about this guy who can teleport to different locations just by thinking about it. Meanwhile, another guy tries to chase him down and kill him because he believes that no one but God should have the power to be in all places like that.

At first he uses this power to rob banks and travel the world. OK, he's just a kid; he'll learn, I thought. I kept waiting for him to realize that he had this gift and should use it for good. You know, he sees a live broadcast on the news of a person standing on a building waiting to jump and he teleports there and rescues him. That kind of thing. But it never happens. He never changes. When it was over, I kept thinking, "What's the point? That was stupid." Joe liked it though. Then again, Joe and I almost never agree on movies or TV shows because I have taste and the stuff he likes is asinine.

With my awesome powers of perception, I was able to figure out that the guy in this movie is the same guy who played Darth Vader. Or maybe not so much Darth Vader, but Anakin. Anakin? That's his name, right? Well, he played some guy in Star Wars. And it only took me like 45 minutes to realize this. How 'bout that for astounding talent?

Another couple movies I recently watched were Flywheel and Facing the Giants. These DVDs were sent to me by Provident Films. Flywheel was a little slow moving at first and you could tell it wasn't some big budget Hollywood film. Despite that, it drew me in and I attentively watched the entire picture. Not only that, but I teared up a couple times during the movie too! The movie itself is an obvious message of God's love and turning your life over to Him. But what intrigued me most about this movie is that it was shot with a $20,000 budget of unsolicited donations! Not only that, but the cast and crew was solely comprised of volunteer members of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, GA. The Kendrick brothers (one of whom also stars in the movie) got the idea to make the film after seeing the results of a survery which said "movies and television shows are more influential in American culture than the church." You can read more about that HERE.

Then I watched their second movie, Facing the Giants. I really enjoyed this picture. It was your typical "underdog football team turns around and wins big in the end" kind of movie, but with a Christian twist. This picture also stars Alex Kendrick; this time as coach Grant Taylor. He's the coach of a losing football team, his car is falling apart, money is tight, he and wife are having problems with infertility, and he is close to being fired from his coaching job. At this point, he starts praying and changes his focus and good things start to happen. His team changes, their playing changes, their attitudes change, the small kicker gains confidence, and disrespectful kid has a change of heart and apologizes to his father. They start winning games, the coach gets a raise and unexpected gift of a new car.

I've got to warn you though - have a box of tissues nearby. You'll definitely tear up over this one. But there are well timed moments of humor throughout the movie too. The banter between the assistant coaches made me laugh out loud. I'm looking forward to seeing their new film, Fireproof, that will be in theaters this September.

And finally, I got to escape for an evening last week and see Sex and the City with my friend, Jen. I don't get HBO and had just watched some of the cut reruns of the TV show so I wasn't sure I'd really like the movie, but hey, it was a night out of the house! I actually really, really liked it! I laughed, I cried, I left the theater and wanted to move to New York with my four best friends. I just love the way they show the incredible friendship between these four girls.

So, there you have it. Mediocre reviews on a couple movies that have been out for months. You can't get this kind of quality at those other blogs.

Remember also, that you have until Monday, July 7th, to answer the questions on yesterday's quiz. Just please leave your comment on yesterday's post so I don't have to search all over for entries. Thank you! Oh and if you saw the post when I first wrote it and were overwhelmed with the TWENTY hard questions I had, never you fear. I modified it a bit and now it's only 10 multiple choice questions. I don't expect anyone to remember everything and know the answers to all the questions, but have fun with it and take a guess! I've got some awesome prizes donated by some awesome people for you to win!

The Super Spectacular One Year Anniversary Bloggy Quiz!

(edited after I realized that no one was going to be able to answer all 20 questions and no one has time to go back through 300+ posts to look up the answers.)


It's the one year anniversary of the birth of my blog! I can't believe I've been blogging for a whole year (especially when I didn't even know what a blog was before that!) I wouldn't have found so much joy and fulfillment in this blog if it wasn't for you guys reading and leaving me your awesome comments! Thank you to all my readers!!! And to really thank you guys, I have put together a fun quiz about my blog. Actually, the idea for the quiz and most of the research for it came from my friend, Sandy. Thank you, Sandy! And sorry Sandy, but I had to leave off all the wonderful, nice things you said about me and my blog. I just couldn't bring myself to write it here.

Leave me your answers to the quiz in the comments section of this post. I'll give you all a week to come up with the answers and leave me a comment. Actually, scratch that. I'm going to be camping next weekend, so I'll give you until next Monday (7/7) to enter the contest and I'll choose the winners Monday night. I'll randomly pick the 11 winners (one for each prize) from the entries with the correct answers. If there are no (or not enough) entries with correct answers, then I'll choose the winners randomly from the entries with the most correct answers. I tried to figure out how to let everyone pick which prize they wanted to win, but according to all my friends, I'm nuts for even considering it. They said, "You get what you get and you don't get upset." So, that's how I'm going to do it. The first name I choose will get the first prize, the second name will get the second prize and so on and so forth.

Vanna, tell them what they can win!

Well, Dawn, your readers can win one of these fabulous prizes, generously donated by these businesses...

1. Leslie at Simply Lovely Gifts is donating one personalized cape. Your little super hero will love it! (She's also offering 10% off orders until July 13th. Just use coupon code DAWN.)

2. Patti at Precious Text is donating one gorgeous, handcrafted, heart shaped Mother's pin with scripture from Proverbs 31:28. Jewelry with meaning!

3. Vanessa at My Mommy's Bracelets is donating one handcrafted, single strand Mommy bracelet. And who doesn't love sparkly jewelry?! (She's also offering 10% off orders until July 13th. Just use coupon code DAWN.)

4. Annika at Red Thread Confections is donating one small box of her delicious, gourmet, handcrafted chocolates. Mmmm chocolate!

5. Angie at Good For the Kids is donating one $50 gift card good for anything at her store. Use it on a wide variety of items that nurture, create and engage!

6. Kim at Olive Kids is donating one $50 gift card good for anything at her store. She has everything to decorate your kids' rooms in classic, fun designs!

7. Dana at Couture Moms is donating one Mom*ology shirt. Choose from several funny sayings and express your style!










8. Michelle at 4 The Kids is donating one personalized namesake made especially for you. Michelle's namesakes are unique, one-of-a-kind designs! (And, as always, 50% of the proceeds goes to pediatric cancer.)

9. Rachel at Supper's on the Table, Come Home is donating one cookbook chock full of delicious recipes the whole family will love. This book also includes a weekly shopping list. Rachel sent me a book a long time ago and I just found where I'd misplaced it. There are tons of slow cooker meals and almost all the recipes use whole, natural foods that work with our family's diet, so I'm loving it!



10. & 11. Roxanne from Sassy Chics is donating two $50 gift cards good for anything in her boutique. She's got some of the most darling clothes for your little girl and she keeps Lexi and Brooklyn in style!





And now, without further ado, is the Super Spectacular One Year Anniversary Bloggy Quiz!


1. Which one of these things has Dawn NOT shown us pictures of?

A. a bar of soap with teethmarks in it
B. her sister's Christmas tree
C. her thumb with a Strawberry Shortcake bandage on it
D. a komodo dragon
E. a doorknob

2. Which quote has Dawn NOT used on her blog?

A. Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that ~ George Carlin
B. Parents are not interested in justice, they're interested in peace and quiet. ~ Bill Cosby
C. Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much. ~ Oscar Wilde
D. When angry, count to four; when very angry, swear. ~ Mark Twain
E. Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. ~ Matthew 7:1-2

3. Which one of the following was NOT a blog post title?

A. The Bats Won't Poop on Your Head
B. You Put WHAT in the Toilet?
C. Here's Some Toilet Paper to go With That Butt Paste
D. Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia
E. Don't Put Chocolate Milk in Your Pants

4. Dawn has had pictures of Brooklyn in which of these places?

A. Stuck on the top bunk bed
B. Playing in the toilet
C. Sitting in the bathroom sink
D. In the kitchen cupboard
E. Standing in the dishwasher

5. The most comments Dawn has received on a post is...

A. 718
B. 353
C. 872
D. 903

6. Which of the following things does Dawn NOT hate?

A. vomit
B. styrofoam
C. broccoli
D. balloons
E. shoes

7. Dawn is well known for her beautiful decorated cakes made to celebrate the highlights in her family. Which theme has Dawn NOT shown us pictures of?

A. Bacon
B. Lightning McQueen
C. Monkeys
D. Bugs
E. Simpsons

8. In addition to cakes, a lot of other cooking takes place in the Meehan kitchen too. Which of these kitchen disasters experiences did Dawn write about?

A. Joe putting lemon-lime Kool Aid on fish.
B. Clay microwaving eggs for 55 minutes and 55 seconds.
C. Austin melting the slotted spoon by making donuts
D. Savannah burning chocolate chip cookies
E. Clay turning the mixer on high and spraying flour all over the place

9. There is a lot of “gross” food found at the Meehan’s. Which one has NOT been blogged about?

A. Pizza
B. Sour chocolate milk
C. Moldy sandwich
D. Petrified hot dog
E. Banana peel
F. Cookies
G. Waffle

10. True or false: Dawn fed Clayton chocolate ice cream for breakfast on national tv.

Thank you to everyone for reading my blog, linking to it, passing it on, leaving me comments, playing the game, and making my day! :)

Rain = Good. Trees = Bad.

Today is Saturday so naturally we had baseball excitement all day. As Joe and Austin got home from the last game, a storm ripped through here. Joe pulled into the driveway and, because it was raining so heavily, thought that he'd better stay put in the truck for a minute so he didn't get drenched. Actually, I'm just guessing that's what he was thinking. He could have been thinking about ice cream. Or the Cubs/Sox game. Or Corvettes. Or fluffy little bunnies. OK, maybe not fluffy little bunnies.

Anyway, for whatever reason, he paused and didn't get out of his truck right away. It's a good thing too. Because this is what happened in that minute that he paused.



See? If it hadn't been for the torrential rain, he would've gotten out and the branch would have hit him. Who says the rain is bad?

And the best part is - it didn't hit my new van!

Mom! I Need Underwear!

I had an interview with Lisa Belkin for her XM radio show Life's Work. I sounded like an idiot myself. She asked me, "What have you learned from blogging?" I stammered on for an eternity at least 20 minutes and I didn't say one single thing that made sense. It was a train wreck - I was sounding like a moron, but I just couldn't shut up. At one point, I think I told her that speaking in public makes me feel like throwing up. Then she said something along the lines of, "I see you're a keynote speaker at the BlogHer conference." I was like, um no, I'm not. I'm speaking on a panel, but I'm not a keynote speaker. She was sure she'd seen it on the BlogHer site though. She was wrong, but it made me more confused and delirious. This is not me just being hard on myself. Oh no. This is the honest to goodness, sad, pathetic truth. And to top it all off, at one point during the interview, Clay burst into my room and shouted, "Mom! I need underwear!"

Lovely. Now the world can hear my insanity up close and personal on XM radio.

I had been invited to a roundtable discussion with 5 time Olympic medalist, Janet Evans. I was really honored to be asked to participate. I mean, here I was talking to the folks from Johnson & Johnson, Janet "gold medal, tons of swim records" Evans, and these other prominent bloggers: Christine, Kariana, Heather, Jill, and Jennifer.

This discussion was to take place at 1:00 Pacific Time. No problem. I tried to dial in at 11:00 Central Time and couldn't get through. I couldn't figure out why. 1:00 Pacific = 11:00 Central. What's the problem? So I called the organizer of the event.
"I can't seem to get into the conference. Any clue what I'm doing wrong?"
"You're an idiot." "You can't log on until the conference starts."
"Right. I'm trying to get on now and I can't."
"Wow you're dimwitted!" "It starts at 1:00 Pacific Time."
"I know. That's 11:00 Central."
"Are you for real??? "No, that's 3:00 Central. Pacific is 2 hours behind you."
Then I saw her roll her eyes at me through the phone.
"Oh my gosh. I know I'm not mathy, but that was pathetic even for me. I'm so sorry. Duh. I'll talk to you in 4 hours."

We were invited to ask Janet questions and I came up with these thoughtful nuggets - "I heard, on your website, where you said you got up at 4:15 every morning and swam 12 miles a day. If that was my kid, I would've told him, "No flippin way am I getting up at 4:15 every day to drive you to the pool. Pick another sport."

Now, let me tell you - this conversation revolved around Johnson & Johnson's (official partner of the Beijing Olympics) "Thanks Mom" campaign. You know - as in "thanks mom for driving me to the pool everyday so I could become a gold-medal-winning Olympic athlete." Do you see how my comment was just perfect for this theme? I'm such a dork. In fact, that wasn't even a question at all! Just a stupid comment.

Then I came up with another, equally fabulous, comment. I believe it went something like, "I saw the video of you flying through the air on Celebrity Circus and the mom in me wanted to shout, "What on earth do you think you're doing?! You're going to crack your head open! Get down from there right now!"

Score another well thought-out comment from yours truly.

Actually, it was an enjoyable conversation. Janet is not only a 5 time medalist (4 of those are gold), but she's a motivational speaker (no, she doesn't live in a van down by the river).


She wants to be a role model for her daughter Sydney and she wants to inspire young athletes and let them know that doing your best (and not winning) is what makes you a champion and is what's important. Her plans are to travel to the Olympics in Beijing on behalf of Johnson & Johnson and hang out with the moms of the athletes because, let's face it, if it wasn't for the efforts and sacrifices of the parents, those athletes wouldn't be there in the first place.

I admitted that I have difficulty finding the time to get in the shower some days, let alone taking care of the kids, the house, the laundry, dinner, shopping, etc. Then I asked her how she managed to find the time to write a book, do motivational speaking, teach swim clinics, be a mother and wife. She told us that her parents, much like they were when she was training for the Olympics, are still a huge support to her.

I'm so Proud of Them :::sniff sniff:::

My little fashion plate


Yes, she's wearing two different shoes - both for the right foot.


After watching that pretentious doof Alton Brown on Good Eats, Austin decided to make homemade marshmallows last night. This basically meant that I had to clean up a huge sticky mess this morning. It also meant that Clay got to have fun warming marshmallows in his hands and then smearing them all over his face. Why? Because he's Clay.


Here's the little movie star. "Whatchou talkin' about?"



After seeing the commercials for Kung Fu Panda 58 times, Clay's been walking around saying, "I like Kung Food! That's right - not Kung Fu. Kung Food.

Just Another Fun-Filled Day

Yesterday my inlaws came over and watched the kids while Joe and I went to buy the van that we looked at on Saturday. I reminded Jackson the kids that good things happen when they behave and military school happens bad things happen when they don't behave. Anyway, we got a good report from grandma and grandpa so I told the kids I'd take them to play miniature golf after Savannah's orthodontist appointment today.

Well, let's see here, the day started with the kids running through the house whipping pillows at each other, yelling, screaming, crying, and shrieking like Howler monkeys. Not really something you want to wake up hearing. I think the US government could use my kids' morning voices on their enemies to gain world domination. Although, I suppose those screeches are probably deemed "torture" under the Geneva Conventions, Amnesty International, and the United Nations.

After that, I walked out to the kitchen where I saw tortillas on the floor, drying out. It doesn't even shock me to find food on the floor anymore. In fact, if I ever walked into the kitchen and saw a clean floor, I'd probably go into coronary arrest. "Where's all the food? Why isn't there any on the floor? Why isn't ice cream dripping down the cabinets? The refrigerator door is closed??? There are no gallons of milk sitting out on the counter? What's going on? What's wrong with the world??? I'm so confused!"

Next, on my day of fun, was the trip to the orthodontist. The kids were all off their rockers insane a little wild in the car. Although I was tempted to ask the orthodontist if he could wire their mouths shut, I decided that the kids would probably scare away the other patients, so I parked right in front of the door and let Savannah go in by herself while I stayed in the car with the riffraff. While we were waiting in the car, the kids somehow decided it would be a good idea to unbuckle and move around the fun, new van. When Austin buckled Brooklyn back in her seat, she started screaming and crying. This went on for 20 minutes. It was fun. I actually had my camera with me because I'm insane and I take it everywhere I thought I might get some pictures of the kids playing mini golf. Austin took some footage of Brooklyn screaming, but alas he was playing Austin Meehan D P (cinematographer extraordinaire), and thanks to his funky vision, the movie had some extreme close-ups, blurred shots of the inside of her nasal cavity, and a lot of earthquake-like shaking. Needless to say, the picture is awful, but the soundtrack is pure birth control.


The first 10 minutes we tried to distract her, calm her, make her laugh, make her stop. At the point the video started, we were beyond that. We were just concentrating on tuning her out. Oh yeah - and yes, she had gum in her mouth. I didn't realize that. Thankfully she didn't choke on it. When she finally calmed down, she closed her eyes and went back to chewing her gum.

When we got home, we saw that Joe's ice cream of the month shipment had arrived (his father's day present). Joe got home from work as we were unpacking the ice cream and putting it in the freezer.
"How did they ship it? How is it still frozen?" he wanted to know.
"They packed it in a cooler of dry ice," I answered.
Joe got this glazed look in his eyes and a smile slowly crept over his face. "Dry ice?" he said in a way that made me fear for my life and the lives of my children.
"Wanna play?" he asked the kids as he grabbed the dry ice and some plastic bottles from the recycling bin.
Next thing I know, Adam Jamie Joe was putting chunks of dry ice and water in the bottles, and whipping them out onto the driveway where he could await the explosions.
"You know a noise like that could impair the kids' hearing."

BABOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!


"Are you happy now Clark? She's deaf."

Then Brooklyn found some stickers and decorated her legs and the kitchen floor. "Can you put a couple stickers over there to cover up those sticky spills? Now put another here to cover up that dirt. Good girl." Oooo pretty.



I walked past my pretty kitchen floor and went to the laundry room to change loads of laundry. I put clothes in my dryer and turned it on. Clunk! Clunk! Cachunk! Clunk!
"What the heck?" I opened the door and found a rock. Not just any rock though. Noooo. A piece of a geode. A geode that Jackson and Clayton were looking at while we were in the play zoo last Friday. Now I knew that Jackson was the culprit because I had actually patted Clay down as we left to make sure he hadn't pocketed any of the rocks. I didn't check Jackson because I thought he knew better.
I confronted Jackson and asked him if he'd taken the rock. He admitted it. I gave him high praise for admitting it and not lying to me. And then I told him it was stealing and he has to take it back to the zoo, find a worker in the play area and return it with an apology and a promise to never do it again. I think he realized he was wrong as he started crying. Either that or he was crying because I told him he had to return it. And so begins his life of crime.

A little later I was folding some laundry and I noticed some clothes that didn't belong to my kids.
"Hey Savannah, these aren't yours, are they? Did you borrow them from Shannon?"
"No."
"No? Then how the heck did they get in here?"
"Oh, they're Shannon's, but I didn't borrow them from her."
"So, I'm just doing your friends' laundry now? Oh good. Because doing 8 people's laundry left me with way too much free time."

Now I'm hobbling off to bed. "Hobbling", you ask? Yes, that would be because Clay got mad and threw a toy guitar that hit me in the ankle.
"I didn't mean to hit you! I meant to hit Jackson."
"Oh, well in that case, it's all fine and dandy!"
I resisted the urge to beat him with the guitar. He's lucky.

(sort of) Sunday Sound Out

Sorry I missed the Sunday Sound Out. I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I just had a really busy weekend. So, without further ado....


all these cool sites/blogs everyone is posting is soo going to get me in trouble. How am I supposed to get anything done around the house with all these new blogs to visit??
You're not! That's the beauty of it.

Now a question for SSO: Did you nurse all of your children and for how long?
Yep, I nursed them all for varying lengths of time. Brooklyn was the longest at 15 months.

Hey! You should do a blog on regional lingo. My mother-in-law is from New York and says "stand on line" as opposed to "stand in line". She also says "pocketbook" as opposed to "purse".
ROFL! My good friend Denise lives on Long Island and when we were in Minnesota a couple months ago, she said to our waitress, "I'd like a seltzah with lemon."
The waitress asked, "What?"
"A seltzah with lemon, please."
The waitress looked thoroughly confused and looked to the rest of us for clarification. Unfortunately we were just as stumped as she was.
"A seltzah! Seltzah!" Denise couldn't figure out why no one knew what the heck she was talking about.
"Ohhhh. I think she wants a seltzer. Is that right, Denise?"
"Duh."
"What's seltzer? Is that like soda?"
It was pretty funny, wasn't it Denise? ;) LOL!
(Then she reached into her pocketbook to pay for it.)

SSO question: Does Jackson not like getting his hair cut or is it you that likes it long? I noticed your other boys have their hair short and he's the only one who doesn't.
I have no idea. He wants it long. Whatever. It's just hair which is certainly not worth fighting about in my opinion. I'm just going to start calling him Jackie.

Question for the next SSO: What bizarre things have you said to your kids that you never would have imagined the need to say? For example, we have been heard telling our 2 1/2 year old: "A sock is not a tissue," "No eating snow/ice that's been on the ground for five days!" and "Toothpaste does not go in your eye!"
Here's a list of a few things.

One other Q: Are you a member of the Fiengold Program and if so do you think that it is worth the almost $100 a year?
I am. I'm not sure if it's worth it though. I like that Feingold takes the guesswork out of figuring out what products/brands have artificial ingredients, but you can just read labels to figure out the same thing. However, as Feingold points out, some artificial ingredients are kinda hidden in food because manufacturers don't necessarily list every thing on the label. The actual product names in the Feingold book are products that they've researched. You can also use their message boards to get recipes, ask questions, and get support and answers from other members.

Wow all 6 to the dentist at the same time?? What were you thinking?
Clearly, I wasn't.

I have to say that baby over on the right with the chocolate all over it's face just cracks me up, is that one of yours???
LOL Yep, that's Brooklyn.

Is it bad that I'm giggling as I'm picturing you with the six kids at the dentist on a conference call? Really, I wish you luck (which reminds me that I need to call my dentist tomorrow to schedule a check up, thanks!).Shall I assume that you've officially started back on the Feingold diet?
No, it's good that you're giggling. I love when my misery can make others laugh. ;)
And oh yeah, we're back to the diet!

I'm sorry for the rough day! Will Jackson resist going back on the diet now that he's had a little taste of "freedom"? Or does he see the changes in himself and want to get back to feeling calmer?
He's resisting despite the fact that he knows it helps him out. It's tough. I rarely buy anything off the diet to have in the house. I cook the same way for all of us. But then the other kids complain that they don't get junk food because of Jackson and why are they getting punished. If I let them have something off the diet, then Jackson gets upset that they get something that he can't have. I try really hard to make additive-free alternatives to whatever they crave. If they want Twinkies, for example, I make sponge cake and cream filling from scratch for them. Still, it's tough. We really stick to the diet at home, but I let the other kids have contraband goodies if they're out without Jackson.

Are there any summer camps in your town. We have several day summer camps that the rec center puts on. It would give you a "break" from some of the kids and it's educational too.
That's true and we do have several camps and activities I could sign them up for. Last year I put them in summer school for the first time ever. Honestly though, I actually do like having our days free so we can just pick up and go someplace and do something fun whenever we want. I don't like getting up and going early in the morning. Besides, if I sign one kid up for a camp, I have to sign them all up and it gets pretty pricey to do that.

P.s. Box there yet? Jenn T.
Yes! And I couldn't find what I did with your email to thank you. (This woman, Jenn, sent my kids a box of information and goodies all the way from Alaska. And check this out - Jenn not only lost 83 pounds (which is an amazing feat in itself!), but she competed in her first triathlon in May. Not only did she compete, but she crossed the finish line in only 87 minutes! Inspiring, no?)
Thank you Jenn!

Austin sounds like a hoot. Does he keep the other kids in stitches? No, he's usually the kind of guy who can't walk down the hall without reaching out and slapping a passing sibling. Then, when I yell "Austin!", he looks at me with mock innocence and says, "What? What did I do? I was just walking down the hall!"

So this comment has nothing to do with your post but… I read this article in the Trib and thought of you. Algonquin and Lockport are both getting a Sonic. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-thu-sonic-jun19,0,6796223.story
Woo Hoo! They're building them in Country Club Hills and Aurora too! Yay!

Okay, that running narrative is pretty freaking funny! Go Austin :) Keep being strange. You'll be a wonderful adult who thinks outside the box someday.
Ha! Outside the box, you say? In kindergarten, Austin came home with a paper that had a picture of a dog, a cat, a fish, and a table. It read, "Circle the one that does not belong." He had circled the fish. I asked him why he circled the fish. It was clearly the table that didn't belong. He looked at me like I was stupid and said, "a fish doesn't have four legs." And so it began.

Given that finances play the largest role in determining where you live, have you guys considered moving now that your writing career is off to a successful start? I'm sure any day now the older two kids will be dying for space of their own. P.S. Your house always looks great in pics-better than mine and all I have is a husband and two dogs!
I think we'd have to get divorced first as I want to live someplace warm and very close to the ocean. Joe, on the other hand, would be content in the snowy mountains. And thank you, but nope, my house if pretty much ALWAYS messy!

Question -Do you still sell on ebay as that is how I first heard of your blog.And if so, what is your selling name now - just so I can have a good laugh....(in the nicest sense!) :)
I haven't sold anything in a long time. I have a few things to sell right now, but I just haven't found the time to list them. My ID is the same one I've always used - dawnm5723.

Hi Dawn, I am typing to you right now from Joliet, as we have traveled all the way from Calif. to visit my in-laws...We passed the sign for the Brookfield Zoo, so I know you can't be far from here. We may take my niece and nephew there tomorrow.
I took my kids there on Friday too! Did you hear Brooklyn screaming and me yelling at Jackson while you were there?

Wow Dawn, I just noticed the time you posted. Do you ever sleep?
Not nearly enough. I miss sleep.

I love your blog and am a faithful reader! Can I please copy and paste your friend's cancer videos and petion into my blog (as well as your intro to this piece? I would love to help get word out. Of course I will give you credit link back to your blog.
Absolutely!!!!!!! I should have written that. Everyone, please feel free to copy the videos and pass them on!

How come the search that deal with "body functions" lead to your blog?
Maybe because bodily functions and kids go hand in hand. Or perhaps it's because I've been changing diapers for almost 14 years straight.
(Just wait until I'm a bit older and need a colonoscopy!)

Dawn, sorry the second zoo trip wasn't quite as ... calm? as the first one. It always seems to happen that way, doesn't it? I must say that I admire your restraint, as I probably would have turned around and not gone to the zoo if little cartridges were flying around my car. Again, I'm a mean mommy!
Yeah, I was tempted to do just that, but then it would have punished all my other kids who were behaving and it would have ticked off my sister who was meeting us there, you know?

I love the pictures. Thanks for posting. My apologies if you've answered this a dozen times, but how do you attach the photos? Do you upload to photobucket or a similar site? (Maybe you just tape them to your monitor?)
I'm not sure I understand. I just click the little icon that looks like a picture and then insert them.

now that you mentioned your sister, i wonder how your family (parents, siblings) reacted to your pregnancies and you having a big(ger) family?
They think I'm crazy.

The little bit we can see of your sisters face bears a strong resemblance to your own.
Yep - add 3 inches to my height and take 50 pounds off her weight and we're the spitting image of each other.

Where are Lexi's glasses? And did she get a hair cut? She looks really grown up! I didn't recognize her at first.
Wow! Good eyes! I'm impressed. She "forgot" her glasses that day and I didn't realize she didn't have them until we got to the zoo. If you look really closely at the picture of her on the leatherback turtle, you can see that her eyes are a little crossed. That's what happens when she doesn't wear her glasses even though she insists she can see without them.
And yep, she got her hair cut short. It's cute and I don't have to fight with her to comb out all her tangles anymore!

And thank you for all your suggestions of pastry/alcohol combinations! Who knew there were so many of ua who think about reaching for cookies and beer after a stressful day!

Frozen Girl Scout cookies go fine with a good Merlot.

Beer and Cookies... Works for me!

I think the beer and cookie thing is an nice start. Now, have it served in Hawaii by a young, shirtless man that has a striking resemblance to Johnny Depp and you've got yourself a party!

I have had beer and cookies days, and I only have two kids.

Beer and chocolate chip cookies right now.

yes. beer and cookies go together. go for it! although i prefer bailey's and ice cream. :)

Chocolate chip cookies go with anything

Of course beer and chocolate chip cookies go together! I'm surprised you haven't tried that combo before.

I think cookies and baileys definitely sounds like a better mix than beer.

How about Baileys and chocolate chip cookies? I have a great recipe for Kaluha brownies too.

I'm pretty sure any combination of alcohol and junk food go together at the end of that kind of day. Or for lunch on that day...

Oatmeal Cookie recipe serve in Old-Fashioned Glass1/2 oz Grand Marnier® orange liqueur1/2 oz butterscotch schnapps1/2 oz Bailey's® Irish cream

Beer and chocolate chip cookies sounds like a party to me.

Hard liquor sounds better than beer. after a day like that... Hit the bag of chocolet chips, skip the cookies all together... and than have a few shots.

Zoo Two

Because our venture to the zoo went so well last week, I took my kids (minus Savannah who was hanging out at her friend's house) there again on Friday. We met my sister and my little nephew there. This time it didn't go quite so nicely. Let's see... to start, Jackson was mouthy and belligerant on the way there. He was acting rotten and out of control as I drove to the zoo and at one point, he actually started throwing little Nintendo DS cartridges around the car. When we got to the zoo and tried to open the sliding door, we realized that a cartridge had gotten wedged in the sliding mechanism and it took us like 4 hours to get the door to open and then close again. He continued with his attitude pretty much the whole day. He took the brace off his wrist and threw it down the path where we were walking. He picked a dirty, lost baby bib off the ground and put it around his neck before I made him put it back. And he asked me 5 thousand times if he could buy something from the gift shop with his money. Money burns such a hole in that kid's pocket. He just doesn't get the concept of saving his money for something he really wants. The minute he gets money, he just has to spend it.

And of course, Brooklyn had about 7 million temper tantrums. Poor Austin (who was shockingly awesome) carried her most of the day and even told her a well-timed lie as we were leaving. One ride on the merry-go-round wasn't enough for her royal highness and she threw herself down on the ground, begging for another ride. Austin told her that we were going to a different merry-go-round by our car. It worked. We were able to leave and she thankfully forgot about "the other" merry-go-round by the time we reached the parking lot.

After spending another 5 hours at the zoo, we still didn't get to all the exhibits, but here are a few new pics...


Clay made friends with the leopard. He kept standing real close and watching Clay. I don't know if he was thinking that Clay would make a tasty snack or if he was wondering how Clay had escaped from the monkey cages.


A pile of porcupines. They were all kinda on top of each other and I kept wondering if they were stabbing each other.

"Ouch! Move over Bob!"
"Dude, you're poking me!"
"Sorry, Kevin, but there's not really room to move here."
"Can you get your quills outta my face, Bill?"


Awww - kissing baby Dominick


My sister trying to keep Dominick from flipping himself into the goat pen.


"A LLAMA? He's supposed to be dead!" (Yeah, I watch too many Disney movies.)


This chicken needs a haircut.


Does anyone else think it's kinda cruel that they named the chicken "Fricassee"?


OK, yes they're just cows, but we don't see cows around these here parts too often ever. But what's even more unusual than the cows is their toy. Do you see it? It's a big plastic pickle. Cows like to kick around giant condiments. Who knew?


This is the part where Clay picked up goat poop and threw it. At least he didn't try to eat it, right?


polar bear


Dominick in a little "nest" in the play zoo


This was in the turtle's enclosure. I guess they drink Diet caffeine free Coke.


And this was in the lemurs' cage. Paula Deen does their cooking.


Zoboomafoo


They have face paint in the play zoo. I guess Clay is Rudolph.


Brooklyn having a snit because she didn't want to leave. The whole day, she kept grabbing Austin's ears. She was like Remy in Ratatouille, trying to steer him around by grabbing his ears and hair.


pretty water fountain


The kids sitting on a life size leatherback turtle. Lexi's hanging on for dear life as she slips into the ocean floor.


Lexi trying to save Clay from being eaten by a rather large fish.


the latest in formal wear


Yeah, it's a ceiling. I'm kinda nuts about taking pictures.


not just another pretty face


...the corn is as high as an elephant's eye.... (song?)


elephant


extreme close-up


I never realized just how umm, interesting, tapirs look. They're much cuter on Diego.




And finally, the winner of the Wonder Pets beanie set and the $75 gift card from Angie at Good For The Kids is........


Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:215
Timestamp: 2008-05-22 05:31:08 UTC

The 215th comment came from......

www.parenthacks.compolitics4moms.blogspot.comwww.5minutesformom.com/faithlifts
By Hands-Free Heart, at June 17, 2008 12:10 AM


Congratulations!!! And thank you to everyone for taking the time to list some of your favorite websites!!! :)

You Found Me HOW???

OK, first things first. My good friends Mimi and Michelle are on a crusade to wipe out childhood cancer. For those of you who are new to my blog, Mimi lost her precious 4 year old, Julian, to cancer only 5 months ago. Check out these videos that Mimi's been slaving away on. She had to make three (in fact, she's working on a fourth one) because there were just so many kids who have battled/are battling cancer. Make sure you have tissues nearby.
Video One
Video Two
Video Three
When you're done watching these videos, click HERE to sign this petition. I know it takes a couple minutes and it's kind of a pain, but as Mimi says - it could happen to you. In the blink of your eye, you could get that dreaded diagnosis - cancer. As your whole world crumbles away, wouldn't you want someone in your corner, fighting for your child?
And God has gifted Michelle with incredible artistic talent and she's putting it to use to raise money for childhood cancer. Check out the link for 4 THE KIDS over to the right there -------------> Michelle is also walking for the kids in her Relay for Life. The link for that is HERE. Thank you for taking the time to check these out and/or donate money and/or pray that a cure is soon found! :)

Reminder - you have until midnight central time on Friday to leave a comment on THIS POST listing your 3 favorite mom websites. The winner will receive a set of Wonder Pet beanies..."We're not too big and we're not too tough, but when we get together, we've got the right stuff." Oh joy, I'm going to have that little ditty in my head for the rest of the night. Anyway, you'll get the set of beanies AND a $75 gift card for Good For the Kids!!! Meanwhile, check out Angie's variety of safe sippy cups which are free of Bisphenol A (BPA Free), phthalates and DEHA. She's also got a ton of toys to nurture and engage your little ones like Melissa and Doug puzzles and Zoobie pets.


OK, now it's time for another installment of How On Earth Did You Weirdos Find Me???

These are the actual keywords that folks googled in order to find me.

telling good lies to each other at class reunion
I recommend it.

why do people get stung if they step on a dead jellyfish?
because they've stepped on a jellyfish

Camping in southern Missouri I came across a spider the size of my hand
Note to self: don't go camping in Missouri.

what should i do with my mother when i have so many problems with her
OK, which one of my kids googled this?

pee stains on pants
It wasn't me! Honestly. It was just water from the fountain that I sat in!

How many more days of school??????????!!!!!!!!!!
OK, now which kid googled this one?

If you asked a woman to change your diaper what would she say?
Goodbye freak!

I searched butt paste for you dawn
Umm thanks?

just a fool to believe she's got disease you tube
I believe the lyrics are "just a fool to believe I've got anything she needs..." not "disease"!

Ways to get moms sympathy when I’m sick
Oh suck it up! You're not that sick.

nude cruise
Umm ew!

my daughter shaved her eyebrows off
Oh my gosh! Why???

so i
So you what???

Hahaha i
You what???? Stop leaving me hanging like this!

I look up to the most to my mom because
Grrrr! Because WHY???

I’m so angry at my new husband
Get used to it.

Hi dawn! Wanted to see if I make it to your next google list becuase I said so! =p
Someone has a little too much time on her hands. ;)

Your laughing at me because I’m different I’m laughing at you because I have gas
I'm sorry to hear that.

If you’re driving in a Chevy and your pants are feeling heavy diarreah
Songs about bodily functions for $200 Alex.

Silicone dog’s paws
Do they really make prosthetic paws for dogs?

I resign because of family
I hear ya there!

One fabulous mom blogspot
Thank you, thank you, thank you. :D

Arizona scorpions in toilet drain
Oh my gosh! And I thought it was bad when my friend Stacie told me that scorpions had dropped on her head while she was in the bathroom!

Why does my water bottle smell like feet?
because your kids filled it with milk and let it sit in your car, in the summer heat, for 2 weeks. Just guessing.

Don’t eat the bugs clay
Do you hear that Clay? Don't eat bugs!

Stuffed butts
It just wouldn't be my blog without the requisite butt reference.

How do bats poop
with their butts (sorry - couldn't help myself)

Can you take her back and change her for another
I swear I didn't google this about Brooklyn!

Plaid knee socks
Thing you don't want to wear. Ever.

Children who eat strange things diaper crème
I don't know. When you spell cream like that, it makes it sound like a dessert.

What does a grade one kid put in his backpack
I looked in Lexi's backpack so I could accurately answer this. A first grader puts Littlest Pet Shop toys, Polly Pockets, a Leapster game cartridge, a pencil, 2 crayons, a bunch of misc. papers, 3 socks, a library book that should have been turned before school got out a couple weeks ago, a baggie filled with smashed crackers, 4 containers of chapstick/lipgloss, a bracelet, and one of my Tupperware cups.

My son flushed something down the toilet and now it won’t flush, how do I unclog it?
Oh honey! Are you on your way home yet?

How do mom blogs get so many views?
because we're so darn awesome!

This is how I walk my dog Dorothy
Thank you, Elmo.



Things that make you say, "Wha???"

if suddenly you forget me, don’t look for me, because suddenly I’ve forgotten you

Cat=web&cs=iso88591&g=gyno.swf&rys=0&itag=crv&_sb_lang=pref

I you because so

Win thi lootery book

The style of is normal day pair of shoes that is in right now for teenage boys

Utah toilet lock bailey

She don’t know that face I know she don’t know the things I know she don’t know I run this show

the chicken had a home where she lived with delight so why did she visit the construction site?

Dawn i.

I haven’t a clue about what you just said, so here is a rabbit with a pancake on its head.

I try to make my way to you but still I feel so lost I don’t know what to say, what else to do. Don’t give up on me yet, don’t forget who I am I know I’m not there yet, but don’t leave me alone

I don’t know if what I did was right or wrong, guess I will never know. But, I made it, and I guess I should be thankfull for that.

You Guys Are so Weird I Said

I took the gang to the dentist this morning. The good news is that he was able to cement my crown back where it belongs while I was there. (You know, since I'm the queen) The bad news is that I have to go back to have my 2 cracked teeth fixed. Oh yeah - and 1 more cavity filled. I used to have good teeth. I did!
And then I had kids.

The kids were actually pretty good while we were there. The thing is - even if they aren't being "bad", it's still kinda crazy when they're all together in the same little room.
I mean, Brooklyn was whining, "I wan' a toothbrush! I wan' toothbrush!"

Meanwhile Clay was asking, "Is it mine turn? What's he doing? Is that mint flavor? Is he brushing his teeth? What is that? Why is Jackson making faces? Does that taste bad?"

Lexi was lining up her Littlest Pet Shop toys and telling me, "This is Lola and this one is Cheeky and this is Kiki and this is Lala and this one is Kuku and the pony is Keeku and this dog is Fluffy..."

Jackson was trying to talk while the dentist was cleaning his teeth. "Mo ca I go pay wi Ti-ee whe we're duh?

Then there was Savannah saying, "Mooom, Clayton is trying to take the fake teeth out of the kangaroo."

And Austin was just laughing like a hyena because, well who knows why he was laughing. He's a strange kid.

So no one was being bad, per se, but when you combine that much activity and noise, it can seem like they're all being rotten and crazy. There was a time when my dentist would have taken the drill to his ear drums. Thankfully he now has a child of his own and has learned to tune out that kind of cacophony.

My dentist has a treasure chest filled with toys for kids to drool over fight over go absolutely INSANE over choose when they're done with their cleaning. Now the idea is to bribe a young child with these toys. "Hold still and let the dentist look at your teeth and then you can pick out a toy!" These are not really for 10 year old kids. Jackson doesn't get this concept.
"Mom, can I get a toy?"
"Sure Jackson, knock yourself out."
"Mom, these toys are all babyish."
"No kidding."
"They're aren't good toys in there."
"Ummm, that's because they're not really for 10 year olds!"
Then the dentist piped up with, "What, do you think there should be Gameboys in there?"
"Yeah!" Jackson replied excitedly, half expecting the dentist to pull out a Gameboy for him.

So everyone has clean teeth and they're set for another 6 months. And Brooklyn got a new toothbrush so she's happy as can be since toothbrushes are way better than any toy on the market.

Then I took Jackson to the doctor to have his cast taken off. His arm wasn't smelly and gross at all. I love waterproof casts! He just needs to wear a brace for another 3 weeks.

Tonight at dinner, Austin decided to speak in third person. Actually, it was more like he was giving us a running narrative of the evenings activities.

ME: Savannah's last regular season softball game is tomorrow.
AUSTIN: And I have three more games, Austin said happily.
ME: Austin said happily???
AUSTIN: Yes, Austin agreed.
ME: Why are you talking like that?
AUSTIN: Talking like what? Austin asked.
ME: Ugh. Do you want some more spaghetti?
AUSTIN: No, I'm full said Austin.
SAVANNAH: Austin you're a dork.
AUSTIN: And I'm also stupid, Austin replied.
ME: Seriously, what's with the narration?
AUSTIN: I have no idea what you're talking about, Austin said, confused.
ME: I have the weirdest kids.

My Patience Gauge is on Empty

The other day Joe and I were talking about the Feingold diet and how we weren't really seeing results with it. We agreed that it wasn't really making a difference in Jackson's behavior, so we decided to let him eat things that were off the diet. We started this a couple days ago.

We were wrong.

Maybe the diet doesn't work as well as medication, but hoo boy, judging by Jackson's "wackadoo, out of control, making us all want to jump off a bridge" behavior the last couple days, it appears the diet was at least helping. The pencil to Clay's eye yesterday was just the tip of the iceberg. After the day I had today, I can see why some parents abandon their young while they're only a month old. Like these bunnies in my friend Jen's yard...



Actually, rabbits may be onto something. They nurse their babies maybe once a day and their gestation period is only a month long!

Anyway, if I had any doubts that the diet was helping, they all evaporated today. Oh. My. Gosh. I haven't seen Jackson so horrible in a long time and I have no desire to see him like that again anytime soon ever! Note to self (and anyone else dumb enough to try this): Kool Aid is about the worst thing you can give someone with sensitivities to artificial colors and flavors.)

I think I have a finite amount of patience for any given day. When it runs out, then I become HIM. "Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry." Let me tell ya, I ran out of patience by noon today. Most days, I can deal with the crazy stuff and the arguing between the kids. Little things don't phase me on most days. Most days, I don't feel like curling up in a fetal position, rocking back and forth, and sucking down hard liquor my thumb.

Then there are days like today where I can't so much as stand the sound of breathing by the time bedtime rolls around because my patience has been completely depleted.

Beer goes with chocolate chip cookies, right? Because I have a craving for both right now. Or maybe I should just save it for tomorrow when I take all 6 of them to the dentist by myself and somehow try to have a conference call in the middle of that.

Sunday Sound Out

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL THE GREAT DADS OUT THERE!

Here's how Joe's father's day went....

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!
WAHHHH!

What the???

Are you ok?

Oh my gosh! His eye's bleeding!

Think we should take Clay to the ER?

Yep, Jackson threw a pencil, hit Clay in the eye, and left us wondering - hmmm, should we take him to the ER? I think he's ok. I don't think they'll do anything for it. But it's his eye. You kinda need your eyes. Maybe we should have it looked at just in case. They'll probably give him some drops or something.

Anyway, we erred on the side of caution like usual and were told that Clay doesn't need to be a pirate. His eye is ok; just has an abrasion. He needs antibiotic drops.

******************************************

OK, next. My design team is coming up with the most awesome, amazing ideas for my website. I'm so excited about it and can't wait til it's ready to launch! You guys are going to love it, I just know it! Eeeeeee! <---that's the sound of excitement. Yeah, it doesn't take much for me.

Anyway, first off, bookmark BecauseISaidSo.com so you don't lose me when I switch over (it'll probably be a couple months before it's official). And secondly, would you guys be so helpful as to take a minute and leave me a comment with your 3 favorite mom-type websites? I know you adore my blog (wink wink) but don't list that as one of your faves. Tell me your top three favorite mom sites besides my blog. For example, babcenter.com or goodhousekeeping.com, etc. What sites do you love to visit? I'll choose a random winner from all the entries and they'll receive a set of Wonder Pets beanies and a $75 gift card courtesy of Angie at Good for the Kids!

And now for Sunday Sound Out!

Did you find anything exciting on the memory card? Was the watch still keeping time? Just wondering!Sandy, HE, Illinois

I found about 200 pictures on the memory card, but I'd already put them on my computer so nothing new and exciting. And nope, my watch was definitely not keeping time anymore.

How old is Brooklyn?
canadiancarrie

Two

That is too funny...although I'm sure it wasn't at the time....Let me ask you this, does blogging take the place of the therapy one would need after raising children? LOL....at least you can look back and make light of it later, huh?
By Kristy

Since I've been blogging, I totally look at things differently. Instead of freaking out over things, now I grab my camera. I guess you could call it therapy. It's sure a lot cheaper!

What do you do when Brooklyn throws a never-ending tantrum?

She hasn't done that because we just give her whatever she wants in order to avoid the screaming. Honestly, toddler tantrums don't phase me at all anymore. It's small potatoes compared to other stuff that goes on as the kids get older. Don't get me wrong though - back when I just had one or two kids, those tantrums used to seriously stress me out.

...I thought of you - 1) You haven't (apparently) struggled with lack of fertility and 2) Aren't you soon due for another yourself?Holly Maudsley

It took me over a year to get pregnant with Austin. I was beginning to freak out that I'd never have kids and I was just starting down the path of infertility treatment. I conceived the next 5 when Joe breathed on me, hung his toothbrush too close to mine, used the same toilet seat, drank out of my cup, and simply looked at me.

You mentioned that Austin also threw a few fits when he was younger. Just curious....When did Austin outgrow the fits? What did you do to handle him during that trying time? Are the rest of your kids fairly calm? Hey, I noticed that you call PJ's (pajama's), jammies. Is that a Chicago thing? I'd love to hear all the unique words that are heard in Chicago. I'll give you a whole list of Texas-isms.Thanks for the laughs!!~Lisa, San Antonio, Texas

I don't remember when Austin outgrew his tantrums. We had to put him in his room when he was throwing a fit. While there, he'd take all the sheets off his bed, then he'd pull the mattress off the frame; he'd empty all his dresser drawers and pull down curtains; and he'd empty his toybox of all toys. I'd actually blocked that from my memory forgotten all about that! Wow, good times, good times.

As far as "jammies" goes, I didn't know that was a regional thing. I thought everyone called pajamas "jammies". Here's a regional saying that cracks me up: apparently people from the south say, "The kids were playing in the floor" instead of playing ON the floor. How do you play IN the floor?

Although don't all kids like gross sandwiches though?By Michelle

I know Austin lives to gross out people with his sandwich combinations. Yesterday he ate a sandwich of a cold, fruit/whipped cream (ambrosia-like) salad on French bread.

The sardine one doesn't sound that weird (maybe it's cultural thing, here in the UK that's a pretty common sandwich filling =) but the others.. Wow! I like pineapple and cheese on sticks but as a sandwich? With OLIVES?! =X
By Lizzy

Pineapple and cheese on sticks? OK, I'm thinking that sticks means something other than sticks (as in branches off a tree). Explanation?

I HAVE GREAT NEWS FOR YOU!!! A few weeks ago you mentioned in a post that you couldn't get your scanner to work with vista. I was having the same problem and have now figured out how to do it. Open Windows Photo Gallery, go to File>Import from scanner or camera. As long as your scanner is connected to your computer you can scan! YEA!
By Darla

LOL! Ummm thanks, but I wrote that August 20th and I gave my scanner to my neighbor about 10 months ago. Thanks for thinking of me though!

Does yours have a list of recipes for invalids too?I love reading cookbooks- this is just one example why.
By Kikilia

No, it doesn't and I'm inexplicably bummed about it.

Oh......... Looks very proffessional! Will you come and caulk mine. You are so good at it.I'll order the caulk for you. There will be chocolate.
By Brenda

Chocolate? Chocolate? Did someone say CHOCOLATE? I'm so there!

When I signed up for the caulk single, it asked for my birthdate. Is there illegal underage caulking going on that we didn't know about?! Who'da known?
By sandnmyshooz

Underage caulking is no laughing matter. It's serious. If you think it can't happen to you, you're wrong. Underage caulking can happen anywhere, in any town, and to any family. Always know what your kids are up to!

So I after I use my fancy-dancy finger to smooth it out, how do I correctly clean it off? (I figure I should find out before I try tackling my shower on my own.)
By Pangolin

I don't know, but I'm going to try licking mine the next time.

WOW What a great job are you sure that you werent a plumber in a previous life??????
By roseys madhouse

Thank you and I don't think so. I like to wear my pants around my waist.

You are putting me to shame. I need to go do all those things, but I keep hoping I get pregnant instead.
By SuburbanCorrespondent

Ahhh, there's the difference. I keep going to doctors in hopes that I don't get pregnant again.

Oh yeah - my new doctor (we'll call him Dr. L) called me the very next day to discuss my blood test results. Do you understand what I'm saying? HE called me HIMSELF to DISCUSS the results! He didn't have a nurse call. He didn't just say, "Oh yeah, everything is fine." He's a keeper. And yes, everything is fine. I attribute it to my wonderful lifestyle luck and genetics.

Sunday sound out Q: Who is the most trouble making, hard to deal with, kid? (If not all of them) (Hee Hee!) :D
By Anonymous

They each have their issues and annoying behaviors. Thankfully, they also each have their own strong points and awesome behaviors.

I don't recommend going to the doctor when you're dead. You'll stink up the whole office and make it uncomfortable for the rest of us non-zombie types.
By Rick

LOL! Thanks Rick. I'll keep that in mind.

PS - do you use an external mouse or do you use the touch screen on your laptop all the time? I had carpel tunnel until I switched back to a mouse - it's MUCH better now.
By Anonymous

I use the touch pad that I swore I'd never get used to. It's second nature now. My doctor told me to take a vitamin B complex to help with the carpel tunnel. What he didn't say was that my urine was going to turn neon yellow. It's a very funky thing. Sooo, if you want to do a stupid human trick and pee unnatural colors, take a vitamin B complex. I'm not a doctor, but I play one online. Please check with your own real doctor before taking anything to make you pee a rainbow.

Okay, I tried a million times to leave this comment on the SSO post, but unsuccessfully...I really must know, and it fits under "medical"--maybe a SSO question? You mention you had migraines before you had kids. Does that mean they went away after? Because it is the reverse for me. Between pregnancy, lactation, and not sleeping more than two hours in a row for eleven months, my migraines went from twice a year to twice a week. So my question is, do you have some secret? Did you make some healthy, drastic lifestyle change? Did the hormones just work out for you? Or is it that mommies just aren't allowed to get a headache and spend twelve hours in a dark, quiet place? Please share your secret, Doctor Dawn. :)
By Anonymous

Sorry to disappoint, but they just kinda went away after I had my first kid. I still get really bad, make-you-throw-up headaches, but now it's only a few times a year. It used to be twice a month. I wish I had a secret cure to tell you because I know migraines really suck.

Was that the Brookfield Zoo? I haven't been there in a while!
By Mere

Yep. We got a membership so we can go whenever we want. We just pack a lunch and head off for a couple hours. It's nice because we don't feel like we have to cover the entire zoo in a single visit. (It's a big zoo!)

I take my kids out for the exact same reason! They forget to fight when other people are around. LOLWhat other exciting things do you have planned for the kids?Our town does Concerts in the Park, so we take the kids there (FREE!) and we also do the Wednesday movies for $2!!!By BoufMom9

We plan on doing some camping (oh joy), going to Navy Pier, Millennium Park, the water park, maybe Six Flags (the kids earned tickets in school), nature center, and we have those cheap Wednesday morning movies too!

Aahhh! They took the fountain out? Why would they do that?!?!
By Colleen

To make room for the human exhibit, of course! They also tore down Ibex Island that's been there since 1936! They're putting bears in that space now.

i think Jackson's tongue is hanging out because he's getting gored in the neck by a buffalo horn.
By lisa

After I published the blog post, I enlarged the photos and noticed that. Goofball. That's exactly what he was doing.

So do the squirrels just run around wild?

By roseys madhouse

Ummm yes. Are there no squirrels in Australia?

That's a chipmunk, no?

~Dawn S

I thought so too until my kids set me straight.

"That is not a chipmunk." duh

"Sure it is! It isn't a squirrel."

"It's a thirteen lined ground squirrel." double duh

"If you say so."

It's amazing you've made it to adulthood being as stupid as you are, Mom.

Looks like a fun time!!!!!!! Did Joe go too or did you tough it out alone? If so I will give you a gold star!!!!!!!!
By plainprecious

Nah, he was working. Just me and the kiddos. Can my gold star say "Sheriff"?

Ok, I know this is way off topic, but I LOVE the Curious George shoes!!! Where did you find them? I have 2 boys who need those!!! (yes, I know I get inappropriately excited over stupid mommy things...)
By Heather

LOL! I got excited when I found them too! I got them at my favorite store - Target.

I wanna go to Brookfield Zoooooooooo! I miss Olga the walrus - is she still there? She'd be what, 40 years old by now?

By HeyItsBeej

The walrus has a name? You know the walrus's name? The walrus's name is OLGA??? Hmmm, I guess I have to pay more attention to the signs the next time I go to the zoo. And to answer your question, I have no idea. We didn't make it over to the swimming animals the other day. I'll check next time.

Your kids really are adorable. Did you pay them to take those cute pics so people wouldn't think that they are heathens?
By jezebelsk
Absolutely!

So, is Austin taller than you?

By Margaret

No. No! Really no! Honestly, he isn't! Neither is Savannah. For real! They are, most emphatically, NOT taller than me.

We're the same height, see? Not taller! The same!

I have a question. Awhile back you posted about a program to download that lets you blog without using the blogger tools. Another program that lets you do more and not put the pictures on backwards! I downloaded it and love it, but I took my computer in for repairs and clean up and it isn't in my tool bar anymore! Can you remind me what you are using and what I was using!! Pamfellow mom of six!
By Pam

Windows Live Writer

Thanks for the fun posts. I am so glad your little Brooklyn wears her socks! :)Best Wishes,Stacey By Beaded Socks

How on earth could you tell she was wearing those socks? Wow! And yes, she loves her "jingly socks"! Thank you! (If you've got a little girl, check out the link for these cute beaded socks! They're adorable!)

I have a question for you. How do you handle the situation when someone else's kid is being mean to your child/children. We ran into this at our local zoo recently. A boy was intentionally trying to ram a stroller into my 3 year old as we walked passed him. His parents were oblivious and only heard me say to him that wasn't very nice. Am I right for correcting someone else's child or should I have just talked to my kids about his behavior later? I just wanted someone else's thoughts about this.Thanks. Shannon
By Shanana73

I tell my kids to bite or kick the offending child. That'll show him to mess with my kids!

Actually, I don't think there's a right or wrong answer. I don't usually get into it though. I generally walk away and say something to my kids like, "See? That's why I tell you to behave! So you don't turn into a little punk like that," at which point they roll their eyes at me.

Remember - please leave me a comment when you have a minute, with your top three favorite mom sites. I'll pick a random winner on Friday and they'll get a set of Wonder Pet beanies and a $75 gift card good for merchandise at Good for the Kids, courtesy of Angie!!!