Happy Valentine's Day!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

My husband and I have never made a big deal out of Valentine's Day. As long as he acknowledges it in some way, I'm happy. This year he got me a dozen pink roses that are very pretty. There was also a heart shaped balloon in the vase. That is, until Clayton got ahold of it and popped it. He also got me a card that reads-

"Some days are so busy that all I wish for is one quiet moment...
...just to tell you how much I love being married to you.
Happy Valentine's Day to My Wonderful Husband."

To his credit,Joe did notice that the card said "husband", and had crossed it out and written "wife" in its place. I had to laugh when I saw it anyway. He explained that he couldn't find a card that said what he wanted it to say so he picked up this one. Of course, there's a much bigger selection from which to choose when you don't wait until the day OF or the day BEFORE an occasion. That said, I have no room to talk this year as I completely forgot to get him a card at all. I know, I know. I did, however, get him a big box of his favorite candy so I'm not a complete loser.

And I'm sure no one will be surprised to learn that I found Lexington's glasses this morning. You know, because I gave up and ordered her a new pair yesterday. It only makes sense that I'd find them today. They were on top of a box under the girls' bunks. I hadn't actually looked there because my daughters assured me that they'd searched under the beds. My bad.

I'm going to Texas to visit a very awesome person - my web designer and friend, Kelli. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to a little sunshine! I'm not sure if I'll be able to connect to the internet while I'm there, but I'll try to update. If not, see ya Monday! I'm off to pack now. Have a great weekend!

The Big Black Hole

The black hole in my house is expanding. Not only have I lost my memory card, but Lexi's glasses, and Jackson's tin whistle are missing now. Add those to at least 10 socks, a little green button I've been meaning to sew on Brooklyn's sweater, Jackson's homework, the no spill valve for the yellow sippy cup, Savannah's old Hit Clips toy, the Ariel costume, half a package of cookies, one of Lexi's pink earrings, a flower charm from my anklet, the lid for our ice cream maker, about a dozen Tupperware snack cups, 3 tubes of chapstick, a comb, 2 toy horses, the remote control to the Sesame Street car track, and 3/4 of my memory.

Seriously, where does this stuff go? It's not like my house is so big that stuff could get lost in one of many rooms. Why can't I find these things? I'd love for someone to come up with small, inexpensive homing devices that could be placed on your items. I would certainly put one on my car keys, my camera, Lexi's glasses (you know, the new pair I just ordered for her grr), the comb (that thing always disappears!), my cell phone, and my shoes because for some reason Clay and Brooklyn like to walk around the house in them, leaving them in strange places.

How does stuff like this disappear? I'm left wondering if Brooklyn throws things in the garbage without my knowing. Or maybe Clay plays with things and then leaves them in odd places. Maybe Austin takes them and hides them in his room for kicks. Perhaps burglars break into my house and decide they just can't live without a tin whistle or a green button. Where does everything go???

P.S. I may know where the half a package of cookies went. Shhhh.

60 Things

I'm busy working on revising my book these days. I've written a million words today and I just can't think of anything else to say so I'm dragging out this questionnaire that my friend Debra sent me recently. If you're a blogger and can't think of anything to write, feel free to copy these questions and answer them on your blog. (It's always nice to have a night off from thinking.)

60 Things You Possibly Didn't Know About Me

1. What is in the back seat of your car right now?
bags from Aldi and Trader Joes, de-icer, CDs, a wooden tic tac toe game, a couple mittens, fries, papers, misc. spoiled food, crumbs, half full bottles of water, a Leapster cartridge, a bagel, fruit roll-up wrapper, gum, toys, an overdue library book, and a Cinderella shoe. There's probably more, but I'm not going outside in this weather to look! It's a million below out there!

2. When was the last time you threw up
I refuse to answer on the grounds that it might jinx me.

3. What's your favorite curse word?
Does crap count?

4. Name 3 people who made you smile today?
Brooklyn, Clayton, Lexington, Jackson, Savannah, and Austin. (yeah, yeah, remember - I'm not mathy)

5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
yelling at Jackson to get dressed

6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
putting a Curious George band aid on Clay's foot because it was "blooding". LOL

7. What will you be doing 3 hours from now?
Am I psychic now?

8. Have you ever been to a strip club?
Nope

9. What is the last thing you said aloud?
JUST GO TO BED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10. What is the best ice cream flavor?
yes

11. What was the last thing you had to drink?
stupid water

12. What are you wearing right now?
a three piece suit

13. What was the last thing you ate?
a bowl of twigs and bark cereal

14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
Yes, 2 t-shirts

15. When was the last time you ran?
high school

16. What's the last sporting event you watched?
??? the kids' baseball games last summer?

18. Who is the last person you emailed?
my loopy friends

19. Ever go camping?
unfortunately yes

20. Do you have a tan?
ROFL!!!

24. Do you drink your soda from a straw?
What's soda?

25. What did your last IM say?
ni-night

26. Are you someone's best friend?
I hope so

27. What are you doing tomorrow?
Ugh, Lexi lost her glasses sometime between Friday night and Saturday night. I have no idea where they are. We've all been tearing apart the house since Saturday night. What the heck?! Where could they have gone? For crying out loud. @@ Anyway, I have to go order a new pair for her before I leave. She can't see without them and I can't wait until we maybe find them. Murphy's Law says they'll turn up the day I pick up the new ones. Oh well, she'll have a back up pair then, I guess. So, I have to go order new glasses for her and I have to go to the grocery store and the bank. I want to clean some and make a couple meals to throw in the freezer for when I'm gone, and I have to pack.

28. Where is your mom right now?
She doesn't have a curfew so I'm not sure. Ummm at her house?

29. Look to your left, what do you see?
a wall

30. What color is your watch?
don't wear one

31. What do you think of when you think of Australia ?
kangaroos

32. Would you consider plastic surgery?
Yep

33. What is your birthstone?
aquamarine

34. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit thedrive thru?
I drag six kids into the restaurant.

35.How many kids do you want?
18 Just kidding!

36. Do you have a dog?
nope

37. Last person you talked to on the phone?
Joe. He was calling to say, "I know I said I'd be home four hours ago, but I'm just leaving work now."

38. Have you met anyone famous?
Bozo?

39. Any plans today?
I'm thinking about calling it quits on the book tonight, having some chai tea and watching Raymond.

40. How many states have you lived in?
one. Well, I was living while I visited other states though, so I guess I've technically lived in several states.

41. Ever go to college?
nope

42. Where are you right now?
here

43. Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
overwhelming email

44. Last song listened to?
red, red wine UB40

46. Are you allergic to anything?
cleaning

47. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
Crocs

48. Are you jealous of anyone?
I don't think so

50. Is anyone jealous of you?
LOL! They shouldn't be if they are!

51. What time is it?
see number 30

52. Do any of your friends have children?
nope

53. Do you eat healthy?
yes. I eat healthy IN ADDITION to eating crap.

54. What do you usually do during the day?
damage control

55. Do you hate anyone right now?
I don't think so

56. Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
No. I've taken to answering the phone, "Hey Good Lookin'!"

58. How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
29

59. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
yes, but it was so long ago, they only had 5 flags

60. How did you get one of your scars?
operation from when I had pyloricstenosis as a baby

Monday? Sound Out

Here is the updated map. There are over 260 now! WOW! Thank you to everyone who has sent us a card or letter!!! You can click on the map and zoom in or out. Click on actual markers to see the names of the people living there.


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Anyway, (This is a SSO question) I know that mom's are "supposedly" not allowed to get sick, but what do you do when your hubby get's sick. I know I can't stand it, he's such a whiner at my place, LOL!. - Jenny
I walk around in a passive aggressive snit, feeling angry that he can call in sick to work, lie down, and do nothing but sleep until he feels better. Is there any other way to act?

I just thought of a question for NEXT Sunday... What is the age difference between Austin and Savannah? What is the height distance between those two? Is there any competition between Austin and Savannah with regards to their height? -Lisa
Austin and Savannah are 18 months apart and they're nearly the same height. Savannah's catching up to Austin in height, but I'm sure Austin will shoot up soon. They've both almost passed my whopping 5'4".

Hey girl!
You need to post that people can vote for your blog nominations! I thought those were awards you ALREADY won...you could have tens of thousands of votes if people knew they could vote - cuz you ARE everyone's favorite!!! - Semblance
Awww, thanks Michelle. I was nominated for funniest blog, best parenting blog, hottest mommy blogger, and best blog of all time. You can find links to these nominations along the right column of my blog. Just click on any or all of those links and place your vote. You can vote for your other favorite blogs while you're there too.

What vehicle do you drive that fits your family of 8? - Pam
I have an old GMC Safari and Joe drives an old Suburban. We looked for cars a while back, but it didn't turn out well. Maybe this summer...

BTW, What WOULD you do if a monkey bit you? Now THERE'S a question for your Sunday Shout Out! - Rick
I'd bite him back, of course.

So, where did you get that perfectly-uniform-snow-fort-building-block-tool? Thanks! - Debby
I got it at Target, but they sell them at all stores like that. At least they did before we got the ton of snow. Now they're selling bathing suits and despite the fact that it's below 0 and snowy outside, I can't find a new winter coat for my daughter to save my life.

First of all I appauld you for even attempting the walking for 2 hours........My question is are you going to attempt this again? - plainprecious
That's the plan. Ask me how many times I've gone back so far though.

how do you workout/walk in jeans? that's too constricting. maybe you should try something w/ a little more leg room. :) - shandra
For real? I don't know. Maybe I'm weird, but I have no problem walking in jeans. Besides that's all I have that fits!

I was just looking at the new photo of you on the other lady's BLOG...and you surely DON'T LOOK 37...Maybe 28.
Really!! But, I wanted to ask briefly: You mention how you put up a few ads on your site...How does that work? Do YOU select the companies OR do they approach you to ask permission? How would you know what to charge them? Melech
28??? Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! As far as ads go, you can easily add Google ads to your blog, or you can apply for BlogHerAds or other ones like that. The people who have placed individual ads on my blog contacted me and asked to advertise. As long as it isn't something that I find offensive, I'm happy to put the ads on my blog.

Hi Dawn, Have you ever tried water arobics? It's really fun and easy on your bones and muscles. Also makes you sleep really well after. My girlfriend and I would meet in the evenigs. That worked for a week or two then we would meet and skip on over to the bar for munchies. - Kristine in Michigan.
I've thought about it and I'd probably give it a try if it weren't for one thing - putting on a bathing suit.

But, but, but, it's only 9:52 PM, why does the time you posted on your blog different from the actual time, if you just posted? But, wait, what I really want to know is when Brooklyn's birthday is? - megryansmom
The time on my blog is the time I opened a new post and started writing. I could open it 5:00pm to start writing, but then I'll get distracted by making dinner, helping with homework, breaking up fights, blah, blah, blah and won't publish the post until 1:00am. Even though I publish it after midnight, the time will read 5:00 pm. Oh and her birthday is the 17th.

Did you try resetting your router? - Black Sheep Dancing
As technologically inept as I am, I did actually try that a couple times.
And thank you to everyone who gave me the link to Get a Human. For those who didn't see this in the comments, it's a link that will take you to a page of information on how to bypass those automated voice systems and get through to an actual live person.

you know what your work out post did for me? - Franzi
Make you never want to set foot in a gym?

It just clicked you have 3 boys,and 3 girls, does the order go boy, girl, boy, girl, boy, girl? - BBA
Yes, we planned it that way.

You look awesome! I can't believe you have had six kids. You keep on mentioning your weight and trying to eat healthier and I picture someone much larger than you are. - Lowa
I'm telling ya - it's the strategic placement of kids around me.

I'm amazed at how much snow you have! If we get an inch of snow the whole country comes to a standstill! Do you get that much every year? (Please forgive my ignorance I come from UK)! Fab snowmum & babies! - Linda Bowen
We usually get a fair amount of snow, but this year has been especially snowy with more on the horizon.

Also a question for you since you brought up the makeup issue, though in different context. How often do you wear it? - SubWife
Only if I go out in public. Don't want to scare anyone, you know.

I'm wondering what your child was thinking w/ banana peels in the sock drawer? - anonymous
He was probably thinking that he didn't want to mess up his jammie drawer with it.

Hey, with all that snow, do you all ever make snow ice-cream?? - Lisa, San Antonio, Texas
I'd never heard of such a thing until a couple days ago when the kids asked me if they could make it. I think it was on The Food Network. Ugh, like I want to mess with that. I told them they could scoop up a lemon snow cones from outside instead. ;)

Quick question, I noticed that your middle daughter isn't wearing her glasses - I only notice this because my 5-year-old has recently begun to wear glasses (September '07), but school pictures had passed. Do you give her the choice about pictures with or without glasses? - juneau poole party of 4
I've always gotten her pictures taken with her glasses on because that's how she looks. She wears glasses, so she has glasses in her pictures. I had her take them off for this picture though because the light was really glaring off them. Someone else asked me a question about how my kids take care of their glasses, but I can't find it for the life of me. I bought Lex's first pair of glasses from Walmart because I didn't know any better. We went camping the day after I picked them up and while riding her bike, they fell off Lexi's face and were crushed in gravel. As soon as we got home from our trip, I took them to Walmart to see if they could fix or replace them and the ultra helpful people there told me they couldn't do anything and I'd need to buy another pair. They broke THE DAY AFTER I GOT THEM! Needless to say, I've never gone back there. I get the kids' glasses from a store called For Eyes. I don't know how wide spread this chain is, but they're wonderful! I can't even count how many times they've fixed, adjusted, or replaced my kids' glasses for free. The glasses are reasonably priced there too.

Your youngest MUST know how cute she is. Every single picture I ever see of her, she has the cartoon-like "I'm such a cutie" pose!! How endearing :) - anonymous
HAAAA! I have many more of her that look like this...


Did you say yes to the play because you were interested in it and will enjoy doing? Or because someone else wanted you in the cast? If it was the first reason - go for it, I say. But if it was for the second reason then my opinion is twofold (1) You need to say 'no' at times, and (2) You must be a really nice person to do it for someone else. Whatever the reason I hope you have a great time. Mum-me
I said yes because I'm stupid.

Dawn, I've been wondering how Mimi is doing. Have you heard from her recently? (If you just answered this question, or it's right under my nose, accept my apologies.) - Bev
I have heard from her. She updates her carepages very frequently. Mimi sounds like she's doing all right considering. This is from her carepages last night...
"How do you stand all this?" I can’t. I just make do… Come on! Could you? If you had lost your 4 year old? God is on my side, that’s how…

Its worth a shot... Will you do my taxes. (I figure that odds are you'll say "yes." - Rick
Sure, but you do know that I'm not very mathy, right? You don't mind paying 10,000 in taxes, do you?

Too Tired for Sunday

Too tired to compile all the questions for a sound out. I know, I know, but try to relax. It'll be ok. Deep breaths. I'll do a Monday Sound Out instead.

So Joe and I went out with friends today. We went to Flanagan's Wake. Has anyone ever seen this? It's along the same lines as Tony & Tina's Wedding. If you haven't heard of either show, they're sort of interactive plays with audience participation. Thanks to my many years of practice in high school, I was able to avoid eye contact, look the other way, and slide down in my seat without being too obvious that I was trying to hide from the actors walking around, looking for victims volunteers. Joe, and our friends Jen & Chris, didn't fare so well as all three were called upon to give answers or hop up on stage. Hee hee hee!

After this we drove around looking for a place to eat. Chris stopped at a restaurant, rolled down his window, and said to the valet, "Hi! We're looking for a place to eat. Do you know of any restaurants around here?" As the words started coming out of his mouth, he realized what he was asking, but it was too late to stop it. I'm sure the valet thought we were all daft.

So I ordered some chicken dish and it tasted like crap. Not that I've ever tasted crap, of course, but it wasn't very good. I really didn't care for it. Everyone talked me into sending it back to the kitchen. I've never done this before. I apologized over and over to the waitress and told her that I was sure it was fine, but I just didn't like it and could I please get something else? She was very nice about it. I'm pretty sure the cook was offended and spit in my new dish, however. Then a manager came out and demanded to know what was wrong with my chicken and why exactly did I send it back, and what was wrong with me. OK, so maybe it wasn't that bad, but I felt so embarrassed. Next time, I'll just eat the funky tasting chicken.

When we got home, the kids greeted us by running around the room like loonies and yelling like crazy people. My bil & sil, who had been babysitting, insisted, "They weren't like this all night. Really, they were totally good." See? They save it up for me. They can always manage to behave for others, but when I'm around, a switch flips and they go nuts.

My sil is pregnant and due in May. She looks like she's six weeks pregnant and she feels great. What's up with that? Anyway, she and my bil are HUGE Nascar fans. I think they're going to name their baby Daytona. Or Dale. Or Bristol, or Talladega, or Darlington. I may just have to do a contest about this when it gets a little closer to May.

It's like 200 degrees below 0 here and we're supposed to be getting yet more snow this week. How fun <---read with enormous amounts of sarcasm. Anyway, it's so darn cold here. It's the kind of cold that instantly freezes your snot when you walk outside. In fact, it's so cold that when Joe was at work a few minutes ago, he shut his car door and the window shattered. Five trillion degrees below zero and no window in his car. I can't take the cold, snow, and lack of sun anymore. I'm going to Texas later this week to meet with my web designer. I hope she orders up some sunshine for me.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow...

I didn't write last night because I was at rehearsal. That's right. I said "yes" to being in the play because I'm stupid. Do you know people like this? Maybe you are a person like this.

Will you do this?
Yes.

Will you do that?
Yes.

Can you help with this?
Yep.

Will you volunteer for that?
Sure.

Do you mind taking on this project?
No problem.

Why do I do this? I thought I'd gotten better at saying "no", but apparently not. I got my editor's notes this week. They were longer than my book. (Just kidding, Beth) Anyway, I have a lot of work to do and now I have to memorize a million lines. I have got to be the dumbest person I know. Well maybe not the dumbest, but I'm definitely in the top ten. Anyway...

You guys thought my kids' fort and snowmen were cool? Check these out! I took the kids to a snow sculpture exhibition/contest tonight. I wish I'd gotten some better pictures, but it was freezing and snowy out there tonight and the kids were turning into popsicles so we quickly looked at the sculptures and left. I ran some errands earlier today and it was warm enough to just wear a sweatshirt. Crazy weather.

The gang


Youthful dreams

Swan (this one was really cool!)

It's What You Wear

Atlas


Jellyfish (this one was really cool too!)


Cheese (there were mice crawling through the holes in the cheese and a knife sticking in the bloc)

It's Not Over 'til the Fat Lady Swings (Get it? LOL!!!!)

It's hard to tell from the picture, but this was really cool. It's a boat floating in the clouds above the Chicago skyline.

Slow Dancing Turtles (I wonder if they have Comcast?)

After our trip to see the sculptures, we came home and watched Evan Almighty. Anyone ever see this? I liked it. it wasn't awesome-great, but I thought it was entertaining, if a little predictable, and the kids liked it. Of course, I never saw Bruce Almighty so I didn't have anything to compare it to.

Makes ya think though- if some guy claimed that God had told him to build an ark and invited you to come along lest you get flushed away in a flood, would you hop onboard? Would you think he was a kook of magnificent proportions? I have to admit that I'd probably think he was in need of some serious psychiatric drugs. Although if I saw the herds of animals standing around (like in the movie) I'd be inclined to take a little cruise aboard the ark, I think.

How about if you were Evan? What if God told you to do something like build an ark in your backyard? You'd probably think you were losing your mind. I know I would. How many of us would listen? This is my problem. I'm usually too busy blabbering away and I forget to take time to listen. Maybe God isn't telling us to build an ark, but if we take the time to listen, I think we might find that He is indeed to trying to tell us something. Perhaps it's just to do something that seems little and insignificant to us, but like they said in the movie, "You can change the world one little Act of Random Kindness at a time."

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

I've had some of these pictures on my camera for a while now, but I keep forgetting to show you guys. Enjoy...


Doesn't the toilet look pretty with make-up?


The sink too


Hey Mom, don't I have big muscles? I've been working out.


Hello. Do you like my hat?


Why yes, I do like your hat!


Hand over your money and no one gets hurt.


Found this in the freezer the other day. I guess the guilty party Clay thought he wouldn't get caught if he only took a couple bites and put the rest back in the package in the freezer.


What else would you keep in your sock drawer but a banana peel?


This is what I found in the bottom of Lexi's backpack today. Mmmmm.


The snowmom my kids made yesterday. If you look closely, you can see 4 of the 6 snowbabies in front of it.


Snowbabies


And finally, the picture of me and the kiddos

As always, check out mamaslike for some great products and giveaways from some hard working stay-at-home-moms!

Have a question for me? Check out my FAQs.

And it's been brought to my attention that people who have subscribed to my blog through Blogarithm are only getting emails for about 1 in 3 posts. I post almost every day, so if you haven't been getting daily notifications of new posts, you might want to sign up with Feedburner (there's a button to the right for that) or some other feed thingy. You can always go back and read previous posts by clicking on the desired month under the heading "Old Stuff" over on the right column.

Also, I've got some buttons over on the right column for some awards for which I've been nominated. If you're so inclined, you can vote for my blog in any/all of the categories.

Thank you and have a good night!

If This is Correct, Say Yes

I didn't post last night because I couldn't get an internet connection until 11:00 pm and I was too ticked off to write.

Something happened to my router. Or maybe it was my DSL. Or something. Anyway, I couldn't get online. I learned something about myself when I couldn't get online. I have an addiction. When I couldn't log on, I started hyperventilating, freaking out that I was missing ...I don't even know what I was missing, but I was sure I was missing SOMETHING! Something big and important and terribly exciting! My heart was beating 200 times a minute and I started twitching. I, the person who used to say that computers were evil, was going through withdrawal because I couldn't connect to the cyberworld.

Anyway, that wasn't even the frustrating part. The mind-numbing, maddening, irritating, aggravating, annoying, exasperating, infuriating, riling, troubling, trying, vexatious (thank you thesaurs.com) part of my little extravaganza tonight was the two hours I spent on the phone in a maze of voice menus. TWO HOURS!

Welcome to AT&T.
For Spanish blah blah blah numero uno.
I see you're calling from xxx-xxx-xxxx. Is that the phone number listed on your AT&T account?

ME: Yes.

Thanks. I'll just look that up. Now, in a few words please say the purpose of your call. You can say things like "I want to pay my bill", or "I want new phone service." To speak to a service representative, say "agent".

ME: I can't get online.

It sounds like you'd like to make a payment. Is that correct?

ME: Umm no. Duh. I have internet problems.

Lets try this another way. If you're calling about payments, say "payments".

ME: NO! Not payments. Internet service!

OK which service needs repair, phone, internet, tv, or none of those?

ME: INTERNET!!!

I think you said you're calling to repair your dial up service. If this is correct, say "yes".

ME: YES!

My mistake. Please say one of the following: phone, internet, tv...

ME: INTERNET! It's always been internet. It's still internet!

To get you to the right place, I need to know where you're calling from. Are you calling from the same number as your high speed internet line?

ME: Yeah.

I think you said, "phone services." If this is correct, say "Yes".

ME: NO!

To get you to the right place, I need to know where you're calling from. Are you calling from the same number as your high speed internet line?

ME: YES!

Just a moment while I look up your account.

ME: You do that. @@

I'm sorry, I do not understand. Let's try this another way.
To get you to the right place, I need to know where you're calling from. Are you calling from the same number as your high speed internet line?

ME: YES!

Main menu: please say the option that best describes the issue you're calling about. For set up, password or connectivity issues, please say "tech. support". For billing questions or account services, say "billing". To hear these options again, you can say "repeat".

ME: GRRRRRRRR!!! You've got to be kidding me!

I'm sorry. I did not understand. If you're having problems with your high speed internet and would like tech support, say "yes".

ME: I'm having problems with this stupid voice menu! Can I talk to an actual person? Do you have any of those there???

It sounds like you want to pay your bill. Is this correct?

At this point, I whipped the phone across the room and grabbed a beer.

I tried calling the customer service line for my router, thinking that maybe someone there could help me. I was on hold for 42 minutes. That's not an exaggeration. FORTY-TWO MINUTES! I heard Rhapsody in Blue, Moonlight Sonata, Beethoven's Fifth, Barcarolle, William Tell Overature, and Danse Macabre. I started having flashbacks of piano lessons as a child. I never did talk to anyone there.

I tried AT&T two more times and each time, after navigating their system for several minutes, I finally got through to an actual person. Of course, when I finally got a person on the phone, they didn't speak English! I guess they might technically have been speaking English, but it was so broken that it might as well have been Greek or Ubbi Dubbi. Why? Why is this? And why do these people act so annoyed that you're bothering them with your obviously stupid questions? Where's the customer service? From the cashier at the grocery store, to the floor help at the clothing store, to the customer service rep. on the other end of the phone, more often than not I encounter someone rude, annoyed, or seemingly bored. What, can no one smile? Can nobody be helpful? Can't anyone at least pretend to care about your needs?

It's so rare to find a person who will not only help you with a smile, but who will go out of their way to give excellent customer service. Whenever I encounter such a person, I make sure to let them know how much I appreciate their help. I also try to find a manager so I can praise the employee that took the time and effort to give great service.

Anyway, at 8:30, I completely gave up, ran out to Circuit City in a blizzard, hoping to get there before they closed, and bought a new router. Voila! Problem fixed. I got back online at 11:00 pm.

It's been a fun two days here. I also learned that my oldest son hasn't turned in numerous assignments at school. He's grounded until the second coming. Today my youngest son, who has been totally potty trained for over a year, decided to poop in the garbage can. Why? Why do they do things like this? For the love of all that is Holy, WHY??? I made him dump it out into a garbage bag. Then, apparently offended by the stench of his own poop, he figured he'd spray some air freshener around. Unfortunately he grabbed a can of lemon-fresh Pledge instead. He sprayed furniture polish into the air and it landed in a waxy coat on the laminate floors. They are now more slippery than the streets outside (which are really slippery because we just got another 5 feet of snow here.)

Speaking of snow - the kids had a snow day today oh joy. Austin and Savannah went outside and instead of building a fort, they made a snowmom and 6 snow babies. Great, right? However, they used my husband's car jack to lift the middle snowball up so they could situate it on top of the bottom ball. My husband was less than thrilled with this.

It's still snowing here. What are the chances they'll go back to school tomorrow? What are the chances I'll stay sane if they don't?

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Edited to add - a lot of people have written to tell me that they aren't getting notification from Blogarithm when I've posted. Some people have said that they only get 2 or 3 updates a week. I don't know why this is happening, but I added (actually Angie added) a Feedburner button right above the Blogarithm one. I guess you can just subscribe there to get updates when I create a new entry.
Also, I was nominated for some blog awards. I put the buttons for those along the right side of this blog. If your have the time or inclination, you can vote for my blog in any or all of the categories.
Thank you!

But I Didn't Pee my Pants. Really.

I met my friend Gin at the gym this evening. My plan was to walk around the indoor track for two hours. What the crap was I thinking??? TWO hours?! OK, the most strenuous thing I've done in the past eight years is blow my nose. After I had my third baby, I started doing step aerobics five times a week. I lost a ton of weight, I looked good, and I felt great. In fact, I turned into one of those sickening people who actually liked to exercise. I looked forward to my workout and I felt sad if I missed it. How sadistic is that?! Now I'm once again struggling to add exercise to my daily routine of cleaning spilled milk off the kitchen floor, changing toxic diapers, fishing the ice pack out of the toilet (don't ask), and trying to get marker stains out of clothes.

So, finally, I got up the energy to meet my friend at the walking track. I got to the gym and drove around for half an hour looking for the closest parking place because why should I get exercise walking from my car when I could pay the gym to let me walk around inside their building? I found a nice close space next to a snow bank the size of Mt. Everest.

I didn't realize that when Gin said, "Let's walk" that it really meant, "Let's run as if we're being chased by chainsaw wielding madmen." Oh. My. Gosh. Seriously. She's running along, not even breaking a sweat and then there's me with my stubby little legs working double time to catch up to my friend who is like 7 feet tall. I'm lumbering along, looking like the full grown mountain troll in Harry Potter, drool forming at the corner of my mouth, sweat pouring down my face, and my legs protesting the cruel and unusual punishment.

Not only was Gin running, but she was TALKING! I wasn't even able to gulp enough oxygen to support breathing, let alone TALKING. Seriously, she's easily conversing about this and that and I'm making these guttural grunts in response. Somewhere around the 400th lap I had a heart attack. At least I think I did. I'm pretty sure it was the big one.

Who ever said that exercise was good for you?! Repeat after me - exercise is evil. Pure, unadulterated evil.

I had to borrow a couple of big muscley guys from the work-out room to carry me out to my car. OK, so I didn't really, but this is my story and I'll tell it how I want.

I had decided to stop at the grocery store on the way home to pick up chocolate a few things until I got out to my car and had second thoughts about that plan. Remember when I just had to get the nice close parking spot? The one next to Mt. Everest? Well, I had managed to get out of my car without any problems, but (perhaps because my legs had turned to Jello from walking) for some reason, I had a hard time squeezing between my door and the snow bank to get in my van. I grabbed onto the handle and opened the door and in slow motion, looking like an episode of I Love Lucy, the door swung open, me still hanging onto the handle, falling back, back, woah, down, down, splat! And let me explain something here. After getting a good foot of snow dumped on us, today was 40 degrees and snow was melting, causing rivers of slush everywhere. I fell, not in an ordinary snow bank, but one of wet, slushy, putrescence.

I stood up and immediately took inventory of the damage. Was anyone watching me who will now think that I drink heavily when I work out? No. Did I hurt anything? No. Is my butt wet? Oh yes! It had to have looked like I'd just wet my pants. Now I admit, after having 6 kids, that I don't have the best bladder control in the world, but this was just ridiculous. I decided to just drive straight home instead of stopping at the grocery store. Then I remembered how much I really needed to get chocolate a few things, so I decided to brave it. I mean, how many people could possibly be at the grocery store at 9:00 on a Monday night?

For the first time in my life, I wished that I had my kids with me at the store so they could provide a distraction. If they were with me, people would be staring at them and not my wet behind. I walked in, and convinced that the lady in the produce section was not actually looking at bananas, but at my apparent lack of bladder control, I quickly removed my thick winter coat and tied the arms around my waist, trying to cover my butt because clearly, walking around a grocery store with a frippin parka wrapped around my waist was a better, more inconspicuous look than a little imperceptible dampness on the seat of my jeans.

And to top it all off - I have a blister on my little toe and I'm quite certain I'll need the jaws of life to extract me from my bed in the morning.



P.S. Thank you to Mary Beth Adomaitis who wrote a really nice article about me on Love to Know - social networking. You can read it here.

Sunday Sound Out

First off, I want to thank all my readers who took the time to send Austin a card or letter. I'm really impressed that so many of you spent so much time looking up, writing out, and printing off information about your towns. Thank you for all the pictures, cards, information, nice compliments,and offers of a place to stay if we ever get the chance to visit!


View Larger Map

A special thanks to Paulette for the "Keep Austin Weird" t-shirt from Austin, TX, and to Charlene for the plastic bear containers of honey and mustard from Hillsboro, KS, and to Rebecca for the Mardi Gras beads from Baton Rouge, LA.


For those who have inquired - yes, you can still send a letter. This is an ongoing project that will continue until May. Our address is...
Dawn Meehan
PO Box 66274
Chicago, IL 60666

OK, here are the answers to life's pressing questions...

question...mom to mom, more of a plea actually for much needed advice before I go insane. How do you get a 7 yr old to swallow a pill? Its Concerta for ADD so it cant be broken or chewed. I need help :( - Kristy
Ah yes, there comes a time when, because of your age and weight, if you choose not to swallow a pill, you'll need to drink 1 1/2 cups of liquid penicilin. So, it's a good reason to teach your kids how to swallow a pill. I was horrible with this as a kid. My mom had me practice by swallowing dragees. Then I moved up to Red Hots. I've also heard that swallowing a pill with a little pop works because the carbonation helps so that you don't really feel the pill going down. It's hard when it's a time-release medication that can't be cut in half or broken or chewed at all. Maybe another reader has a good idea that could help. Good luck!

One of the best things my husband and I have ever done was going on a cruise to the Caribbean with Royal Caibbean. Our 25th is next year and we hope we can go on another one only to different islands. You and your hubby deserve to do that after your hectic year you are having! Just disappear for awhile. Brenda
LOL! Funny you should say this. Joe and I went on a cruise for our tenth anniversary. It was my ideal vacation. Lying in the sun, drinking rum, and doing nothing more strenuous than reading. My husband, on the other hand, was so bored he ended up asking the maintenance guys if he could help fix leaky faucets, broken pumps, and the hydraulic winch. Needless to say, that was his first and last cruise. We talked about going for a little weekend getaway, but I'm sure you can guess how many people offered to watch the kids.

Sunday sound out ? What is your favorite meal to make that everyone will eat. I have a problem in that with 5 kids I normally have one that hates whateer I am making and I make them something different. - plainprecious
I haven't forgotten about the other requests for meal/shopping/cooking/budget ideas. I will get to it soon. Promise. All I'll say now is that if my kids don't like what I've cooked for dinner, they're free to make themselves a sandwich after they've at least tried a couple bites, but I will not make multiple meals.

do people who live in such frigidity actually bother to shave their legs at all in the wintertime?? When it's cold here in Florida, & I'm just wearing jeans everyday, then who cares how unsightly one's legs get??? - FLmomto4
LOL! Well, I have no idea what other people do, but I shave every day because I'm just insane that way. I never want to see a Chia Pet growing out of my legs.

Do they make a red food coloring like that? I've been hoping for something that would actually make white frosting into red frosting ever since the Pink Spiderman Birthday Cake Incident of 2005. - Amie
Ooooo! Ooooo! Ooooo! I know this one, Mr. Kotter!


Use powdered colors! They give your icing a much deeper color without diluting it. Or you can also use a packet of cherry Kool-Aid to color your icing. I don't recommend this if you're covering a large area of cake with it because it tastes funky in my opinion. Another great way to darken your icing so Elmo, Lightning McQueen, and Spiderman aren't pink is to make it up a few days ahead of time and let it set in your fridge. It'll darken up a bit over time.

Hi Dawn, Oh My gosh...What a mess! Were there faces red for along time too? Was this in the summer months? It could have looked like a really bad sunburn. Or did the kids have to go to school that way? LOL..Oh and I think I saw that chair at the goodwill store. - Kristine in Michigan
It was really dark, their skin stayed stained for days, and no it wasn't in the summer. It happened when Austin was 3 and Savannah was 2 and it was the first day of Parent's Day Out at my church. It was fun taking my muti-colored children there that day.

Loved reading your FAQ Dawn! The rum is in the mail.... VanDerHoekArt
Woooo Hoooo!!!!!!!

thanks for spelling "definitely" correctly. it really bugs me when people don't. bugs me to the point that i, without meaning to, lose a little respect for said people. i realize that's weird. - Chunk
You're welcome. Thank you for capitalizing correctly. ;)

I too have a clotting disorder and am pregnant again and doing the blood thinner shots everyday. What clotting disorder do you have exactly? - Ramilin
I have Prothrombin gene mutation.

So, where are the pictures?!? -another mom
Patience, young Jedi. I just had them taken. I should get them next week.

Are you ready for the snow tomorrow? Kathi S.
Ugh. We've had so much snow this season already. I hate snow. I hate winter. I hate cold. Have I mentioned that I'm moving to Aruba yet? Speaking of snow, here are some pictures...

Austin & Savannah in the snow fort they spent 3 hours making.


Looking up from inside


The outside

Dawn, I hope you included your husband in a few photos - it would be nice to have some family photos for later in life - that include everyone!!!!! We take professional photos each year of our son, but every other year, it is also a family shoot - with us in it also!
I can't wait to see your book - and your beautiful photo! - Pam (Seattle)
Nah, not in these pictures. I wasn't thrilled with the way they turned out and I didn't buy any actual prints anyway. I just bought the rights to two pictures. We do a family photo every couple years and Joe is in all the pictures with the kids because I'm the chief photographer.

My resolution was to go on a "no pepsi" diet. Figuring if I cut out those calories I wouldn't have to do a real diet. It has been amended to "no pepsi before 8 p.m." I really need it for my rum drink. You can't drink rum straight, right? - Patty, MD
You can't? Seriously? Aw man, I've been doing it wrong.

Dawn wrote: "11. I will finish things that I start.
This is now, "I will finish things that I start within a"
Within a what??? Don't leave us hangin' girl!!! : P - Becca
Oh sure, I'll be happy to finish this in just

In a land dominated by those of the female persuasion I feel it my duty to be the advocate for Joe. Give him the hard working man more of your time. Swap him with the "girl friends" place on your list. And be sure to tell him that I'm on his side. - Rick
As much as I'd love to spend an evening listening to Joe's "if a monkey bit you" questions, you might remember that I have 6 kids and cannot leave them home alone.

A question for Sunday: Who are your favorite authors? - Georgetta
Does Dawn Meehan count? LOL!
I really don't get the chance to read very much. I wouldn't even say that I have any favorite authors. I've always liked Mark Twain though.

What a NEAT outfit!??! Where did you find something like that?? Lowa
It's cute, isn't it? I got it here.

That was adorable. What a happy girl Brooklyn is! She reminds me of my own youngest who is 22 mos. I *LOVE* this age. I was trying to remember if you've ever said how old Brooklyn is? - Polly
Brooklyn will be two this month. And "happy" isn't quite the adjective I'd use to describe her. Stubborn, spoiled, and cranky are words that fit her a little better.

I haven't been checking out your side
adds for a while. Imagine my surprise when I ran into the section for all those awards you have won.
How long has that been there? - korkie
Those aren't actually awards. At least not yet. They're nominations. Go ahead, click on them, and vote for any and all categories if you're so moved. :) Thanks!

Now, I'm off to watch football commercials.

Tickle Me Brooklyn

New New Year's Resolutions

Remember way back to when we made our new year's resolutions? Anyone? Anyone? Buehler? I remember mine. Vaguely. Hard to believe it was just a month ago. How is everyone doing with their resolutions? Are they going well? Are you keeping them?

I've been doing, umm, a little less than stellar. However, instead of admitting failure, I've decided to make some little, small, tiny, revisions to my list of New Year's resolutions. Since making my revisions, I feel so much better. I'm not nearly the slacker I was before I edited my list.

1. I will lose 50 pounds this year.
Due to non-compliance, this resolution has been modified to now read, "I will lose 3 pounds this year." DONE!

2. I will not lose my temper with my kids.
This one has been changed to, "I will not lose my temper with my kids more than 20 times a day." SO FAR, SO GOOD!

3. I will keep my house clean.
This one has been amended to read, "I will keep my house clean from midnight until 7:00am on days that begin with 'M'." I HAVEN'T DONE THIS YET, BUT THERE'S ALWAYS NEXT WEEK!

4. I will not let my laundry pile up.
This is now, "I will be entirely caught up on laundry at least once this year."
AGAIN, THIS HASN'T HAPPENED YET, BUT I HAVE HIGH HOPES OF KEEPING THIS RESOLUTION AT SOME POINT!

5. I will find a doctor and get a physical, I will go to the OB/GYN, and I will get a mammogram.
OK, I haven't changed this resolution because if I do, I'll have 5000 well-intentioned ladies yelling at me to do it. :0
THANKS TO DEAR OLD MOM(and by "old", I don't mean that she's OLD. She's young. She's very young. And she looks even younger! It's just an expression, folks. Really), I NOW HAVE THE PHONE NUMBER OF A DOCTOR OF INTERNAL MEDICINE. I ALSO FOUND THE NUMBER OF MY OB/GYN. SO YAY. NOW I JUST NEED TO COORDINATE POSSIBLE APPOINTMENT TIMES WITH WHEN MY HUSBAND WILL BE HOME OR WHEN I CAN GET A BABYSITTER. I'M WORKING ON IT!

6. I will be sure to make time for date night with Joe once a month.
New resolution - "I will try to find five minutes of peace and quiet in which to talk to Joe this year."
SO FAR WE'VE HAD 37 SECONDS. ONLY 4 MINUTES, 23 SECONDS TO GO!

7. I will get out with girlfriends once a month.
No amendments needed here.
CHECK!

8. I will write my second book.
This resolution hasn't changed.
I ONLY HAVE 45,000 MORE WORDS TO WRITE!

9. I will get more than 4 hours of sleep a night.
This resolution has been changed to, "I will get more than 4 hours of sleep this year."
SO FAR, SO GOOD!

10. I will wake up before 7:00 am every morning.
This has been changed to, "I will wake up."
I'M DOING FINE WITH THIS RESOLUTION!

11. I will finish things that I start.
This is now, "I will finish things that I start within a