Thousand Words Thursday

A Thousand Words Thursday is a photo meme hosted by The Mom Jen, at Cheaper Than Therapy. Visit Jen for more pics that say a thousand words....


This is perhaps my all-time most favorite pic of Kendall. She had decided to go outside by herself to build her first snowman. I'm not sure why I wasn't out there with her (It was about 1998 b.p.c. (Before Personal Computer), so I couldn't possibly have been surfing the internet, instead, (haha), but I kept watch now and then from the window and was rewarded with the most perfect display of how temperament means so much in terms of happiness in life.

Kendall had gathered up a bunch of snow, carefully doing her best to create the snowman that was in her mind's eye. Her first try was top-heavy and fell down. She made two more unsuccessful attempts, and I felt myself tempted to go out and help her, but that's when Kendall demonstrated the spirit that we saw in her first days of life and continually see today; instead of becoming overly frustrated and crying or stomping on that danged, uncooperative snowman, she simply took what was left from the mess that had fallen and pushed it together to make a smaller one.

A moment later, I opened the front door to a rosey-cheeked little girl wearing a HUGE smile, asking, "Mommy, can I have some stuff for my snowman?! Come and see my snowman!"

And my three-year-old daughter showed how happy you can be if you keep an open mind and persevere. She showed why it's good to let your kids make their own mistakes when they're cheap (so that they have confidence in themselves when the decisions are more important ones*.) And finally, know this: If you ever need a lift in spirit, and have the chance, build a snowman; it'll be sure to make you smile :)


p.S. I learned this very important philosophy from Barbara Coloroso, who wrote the book, Kids Are Worth It, a must-read book for parents who don't want to be "jellyfish" or "brickwall" parents, but rather, "backbone" parents. If it's still in print (I've had mine for 17 years), I highly recommend it!

Times, They Are a Changin'

When Kendall was 13, I painted her room like this. (Prior to that, it was baby blue for eight years, so she was due.) I bought the bed from Craigslist and painted it white.

Recently, she decided she was ready for something a little more mature. Her room also gets a lot of light, so it can handle dark colors; we picked the bedding and then chose this milk chocolate color...

Soon, she'll have shelving above her desk. Her dresser (a tall, older type) is now inside the closet (and the curtain is leftover from the previous decor.)

Of course, the room still needs some accessories and stuff for the walls, but Kendall loves it and has thanked me many, many times. The old bed is gone, and she finally has a new mattress (to replace a very old, mushy one.) She did encourage me to tuck her in tonight, and she exclaimed that she felt "like a princess." So yes, the pain was worth it.

Never mind that her mom is a little sad to say goodbye to the kid-stuff. It's part of life, right?

Do They Sell Ice Packs in Bulk?

This is going to be short, because I am in so much pain. Between my right shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand, I feel like I will be crippled for life. Here's a glimpse why...

I got a wild hair today and decided to paint Kendall's bedroom, instead of waiting til summer, as planned. I taped and painted for eight straight hours.

It was gorgeous before; apparently too immature for Kendall, who will be turning 15 in about a week. I'll show you before and after shots soon, but for now, all you get is this sneak peek.

And now, I am seriously hurting so much I can barely type. Off to the freezer...

The Vigilant Wives Club

Brianna, at Real Life Mom has started a crusade to strengthen marriages. She calls it The Vigilant Wives Club, and I have joined.

While I often sing Mr.4444's praises, and while I do tell him I love him often, I don't often think consciously about what I do to strengthen or hinder our relationship. Just because we've been married 20 years doesn't mean I should get overly comfortable. I've decided that participating in The Vigilant Wives Club is a good way to become more conscious about my marriage, and thereby strengthen it.

As a first step, I took stock of what I've done for Mr.4444 lately that shows him that our marriage is a treasure to me. Here's what I came up with:

*I got up in the middle of the night last night to let the danged dog out, instead of pretending not to hear him.

*I saved some chicken for him today when I made lunch for the kids (he was gone) and made him a sandwich when he came home (starving) and asked me if I would.

*I offered to make a new pot of coffee for him when I took the last cup of the first one. (I know; Mother Theresa would be impressed.)

*I offered to ride with him to Tinytown when he agreed to run an errand for Kyle, even though I was tired and feeling quite lazy. (He happily accepted.)

*I made supper tonight. (Okay, so it was frozen fish and macaroni and cheese, but he was very appreciative.)

So, yeah, little things that don't mean a lot in and of themselves, but at least I know I'm not totally ignoring him.

Then, I decided to take stock of things I've done lately that could be hurtful to our marriage over time:

*I declined to take a walk with Mr.4444 when he offered, choosing instead to keep playing on the computer. (In my defense, it was 30 degrees outside.)

*I forgot to put his GPS back in his truck when I borrowed it yesterday. (He's probably signing the divorce papers now.)

*I discounted some of his opinions in a recent "family meeting" about an important decision we are making, implying that he didn't know what he was talking about. (Yeah, my Wife of the Year Award is slipping through my fingers...)

I really don't like putting this stuff out here like this, but I feel it's important. And yes, I realize these behaviors aren't all that horrible, when you consider what I could be doing, but I believe that, over time, getting too comfortable with one's marriage can open a crack that could lead to a chasm.

So, today, as a member of The Vigilant Wives Club, I am making a commitment to consciously take some steps (starting now) to show my husband that he is a treasure to me. I'm not sure what those steps are yet. I'll keep you posted...

P.S. Thanks, Cobi, for leading me to Brianna's page:)

Sundays in My City

Welcome to Sundays in My City, hosted by the lovely and charming Unknown Mami!

Because I'm short on pics this week, I've borrowed a few from other local photographers to add to mine. This one comes from someone named Evan Siegle.

As I type, Mr.4444 is boiling sap in the garage. We have about 100 gallons, which should boil down to about 2 gallons. Here's a snap of the progress...


This shot came from Green Bay Press Gazette correspondent, Mike Peters, and it was taken at an "ideas demonstration" the ARTgarage, in downtown Green Bay.


And speaking of eggs, this cracked me up; it's a sign in Green Bay, at the Stadium Bakery...


For many more shots from communities around the world, check out Sundays in My City!

I've Become an Owlcoholic

I just met Tracie, and already she's a bad influence! She got me hooked on watching Molly, at The Owl Box, on Ustream. See for yourself what it's all about, but be careful; it's addictive. (A new hatchling is due today!)

Live video chat by Ustream
If you click Go to the Show Page, you'll see live, streaming chatter from people watching all over the world. I didn't get to bed until 1am last night because I couldn't get enough--so funny! There are are a lot of good people in this world (and owl mommies, too.) If you scroll to the bottom right, where it says "About the Owl Box," you can read the story.

Friday Fragments, Episode #87

My heart is pounding really hard right now. Some of you know that feeling; the minutestary panic (as opposed to momentary panic) you experience when a post you drafted hits the blog and is hanging out there for NINE HOURS before you realize it and get the danged thing off and cleaned up before re-posting it. Whew. Thankfully, I had not written any scathing remarks about anyone (you know; just to vent, not intended for anyone to ever read, LOL). So, because I'm still in shock, I'm just going to say, "Welcome to Friday Fragments!!!" and use Kerri's clever intro from last week to kick us off:

“More important than learning how to recall things is finding ways to forget things that are cluttering the mind.”

~Eric Butterworth

(I didn't know that Mrs.Butterworth had a son.)

Thanks, Kerri! That was awesome.

***I'm excited to tell you that I have once again decided to join our middle school's Relay for Life Team. As a Student Council Advisor, I feel a need to set a good example for our SC participants, so I'm aiming high this year--My goal is $500. If you know anyone who has fought and kicked cancer's butt, please consider making a donation in their name. Of course, you are also to make a donation in memory of loved ones who have lost the fight. I recently learned of someone who is currently receiving treatment that ten years ago would have been considered "experimental." We are making gains against the cancer beast. Please consider sponsoring me. (see button in sidebar)

***Kathy, of Everyday Bliss, inspired me to write this story, about Grandma 4444 telling the story of how she almost delivered Mr.4444's brother in a public restroom:

"We were on our way somewhere when I felt like I had to...you know...poop. I even had to have Bob stop at a gas station, since I had to go so bad, but I couldn't DO anything. When I went to wipe, though, I FELT HIS HEAD!!!" Bob rushed me to the hospital, they quickly got ready, and the baby shot out like a rocket. The doctor even said to the nurse, "Did you catch him?!"

***Hey, just because a mascara is "new" and different doesn't mean it's better. I tried the new Clinique High Lengths mascara


and found it to be incredibly clumpy (a two-Q-tips type clumpy) and hated it. I do still love my Clinique though; they cheerfully exchanged the new one for my old stand-by, Lash-Doubling Mascara. Just thought I'd encourage you to try it before you buy it (if that's possible.)

***Feels Like Chaos led me to this video for Dads considering adoption--It's wonderful.

***Every week, my friend Karen posts something she learned, in her Friday Fragments post. Inspired, I decided to learn something this week. While watching a TV show about dogs, I learned about the Lagoto Romagnola, a dog that sniffs out truffles. I've always wondered what the heck a truffle was anyway, since I'd heard they were a type of fungus and a chocolate delicacy. Now, thanks to Wikipedia, I know that there are two kinds of truffles. If I could get Cooper to sniff out truffles in our woods, we could be rich; some truffles sell for $1000-$2200 per pound!! Unfortunately, it would take moving to Europe to find any...

***I can't tell you how happy I was to find this post at Ignore Reality, a blog that found me this week. I learned about the Sing-a-Long Sound of Music production, and this has now been pushed to the top of my bucket list! It's showing right now in L.A. Ticket prices range from $9 to $433.

***Speaking of tickets, Mr.4444 and I are going to see Elton John in concert in April!!!!

In her Friday Fragments last week, QandleQueen (A Walk Through My Little World) referenced this post, in regard to a "spider incident" at Girl Scout camp. It made me laugh til I coughed up a lung, so check it out if you need a laugh. QandleQueen, the Favorite Friday Fragmenter Award goes to you this week. Enjoy!

***Going to try to paste the six or seven comments from my accidental post in the comments below. Wish me luck! And speaking of comments, after you link up your FRIDAY FRAGMENTS post (cuz that's the only kind that gets linked, right? :) stop by and visit a few other fragmenters; they'll welcome you with open arms. And don't forget to stop by for some Friday Night Leftovers to link up there, too!

Am I Really That Dizzy?

This is amazing. Let me know if you were able to change her direction; I want to know if I am truly brilliant or just gullible. (click on the pic or the text link)

Rants and Raves, Letters Edition

Rants and Raves Wednesday is brought to you by Little Ms. Blogger, at A Little Blog About Nothing. (Click on the button to learn more!)

Dear Sing-a-Long Sound of Music,
Where have you been all my life, and why are you hiding out in faraway places like Seattle and New York City? Please, please, please come to Green Bay (or even Chicago!) soon. I can't tell you how much I would love to be in that audience (I even have a nun costume ready!)
Signed, The Girl Who Knows the Words of Every Single One of Your Songs

Dear Narrow-Minded, Crabby Volunteer Woman Who Quit Today,
I'm really glad you stepped down from your role; you're a hateful woman. The time you spent in that position is better spent addressing your mental health issues. Good luck with that.
Signed,
Glad You're Gone

Dear Dad, Uncle Dick, and Aunt Dorothy,
As you know by now, Aunt Shirley left for heaven on Monday night. I'm sure you were there to meet her at the gate. Her family is glad that her suffering is over, though their hearts are broken. Herbie and Aunt Rae miss her already, of course, and we'll be doing our best to comfort them. Please tell Aunt Shirley we'll miss her admonishing us for skipping church.
Love, Barb

Dear Dairy Queen in TinyTown,
Your deep-fried cheese curds are the bomb!! Thank you for hitting the spot after school today. You may have just replaced the Blizzard on my list of guilty pleasures.
Signed, Butter Buns

Dear Pamela A,
You are a hoot, but I still throw up a little in my mouth when I see you (can't wash that trashy video out of my mind completely.) Please put some clothes on.
Your Dancing-With-the-Stars UnFan

Dear Google Docs,
I love you very much. Thanks for all you do for me; you're a peach.
Love, Barb

Dear Whoever knows How to remove Disqus from a Blog,
Will you please, please help me figure out how to get rid of it? I had saved my template, but that computer crashed, so I no longer have the old template.
Signed, Tearing My Hair Out

Sorry for the mostly-negative ranting; just needed to get it off my chest....

"It's Not You; It's Me" and Other Lies We Told

I posed this question on Facebook last week: "Remember your first break-up? I don't, but I'm sure it was tragic at the time." My sister Michelle and a childhood friend, Holli, checked in:

Holli-- I did the breaking up - every time, actually. I am very fickle - and when it's time to go, it's time to go! Call me cold-hearted, but I'm not wasting any tears on that!

Me-- Holli, did they call you "Heartbreak Holli?"

Holli-- My mom always told me: "There's no use crying over something your sick of!" She was SMART!!!!

Michelle-- Holli, I wasn't smart like you. In fact, I was a dumbass. He asked me back out and I said yes. Numbskull. Then, a few days later, he said he was going on vacation with his family. They never came back. It was a long-standing joke that he and I are technically still dating. If you gave me a name, it would have to be Moron Michelle for THAT one.

It gets better, too. After our first kiss, at Astor park, I called him on the phone and we talked about it. For several minutes. Then I heard laughter. It was his big brother pretending to be him. I never hung up so fast. Gee, thanks, Barb for stirring up these horrible memories!!!!!!! ; )

Any time, Sis.

Musical Monday :)

Kendall performed at solo and ensemble last weekend. We're so proud of her; a freshman, tackling this Class A (most difficult) solo, in Italian, no less! Here she is, singing Tu Lo Sai...





The barbershop quartet was a slightly-bumpy blend of four beautiful voices, but again, freshmen girls teaching themselves a barbershop number? Those girls are go-getters; I can't wait to see what they come up with next! :)

If you like music and are hungry for more, visit Kazzy and listen to her wonderful Musical Monday!

Weekly Winners/Sundays in My City

My friend Mari sent a link about a local landmark to me. According to the website...

This barn is the one of the last surviving all-field stone barns of its kind in the country. It is on the State and National Register of Historic Places and was nominated to be on America's 11 Most Endangered Places 2009 list.

I've seen it before from the road and found it interesting but didn't know there were so many people who care so much about it...I love this pic. (Click to enlarge it.)

(Preceding photos belong to Kristin Kolkowski, of the Stone Barn Committee.) For more information The Stone Barn project, click here and then on the top link in their left sidebar.

And speaking of barns, this guy caught my eye on the way home one day after school. I call this "Odd Cow Out."


As the weather warmed up this week, so did our sunrises....

Those are my offerings this week! Stop by I Am Lotus for more Weekly Winners and at Unknown Mami to find snapshots from communities around the world. It's like taking that mini-vacation you've been pining for. (Well, not really, but I can pretend...anything to get me through the next week to SPRING BREAK!)

Got Secrets?

"Every single person in this world has at least one secret that would break your heart. If we could just remember this, I think there would be a lot more compassion and tolerance in this world." Mississippi

This quote is a "secret" from this book...

(Incidentally, the "stains" on the cover are actually part of the design.)

"Post Secret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously, on one side of a postcard."

There are sad secrets...
And funny secrets...
Unsettling secrets...
And sweet secrets...
When I first found the Post Secret website, I found it so compelling that I stayed up til midnight (and later) on Saturday nights, waiting for Frank to post the weekly sampling of secrets. I went to Barnes and Noble and found the books, reading one from cover to cover and hoping to find one of the rumored "bonus" secrets that people sometimes tuck into bookstore copies. Eventually, I bought the book pictured above. After reading it, I took it to work and discreetly passed it around to a handful of friends I figured would appreciate it. (They did.)

A few weeks later, the book found its way back to me. There was a Post-It note in it, so naturally, I opened the book to that page, and here's what I found....

The note says, "I think I found your secret!!"


I also found this.

(For the record, no; those aren't my secrets, and I almost choked reading the Post-its! Too funny!!)

Got a secret just burning to get out? Send a postcard to Frank.

Or, for the quicker way, visit Georgie's Secret Confessions post and unload there :)

Friday Fragments, Episode #86

As Mom would say, I'm "running around like a chicken with her head cut off" this week, so I have no clever intro for you, but I'm thrilled that you're here and look forward to catching up with you this weekend. In the meantime, here's what I've got to offer! [Click on the buttons above to learn more about Friday Fragments or Friday Night Leftovers!] P.S. If you only go to Danifred's place to look at gorgeous children and a hot husband, you'll be glad you stopped by, haha!

***Saw this over at Heidi's Dunhaven Place and had to share it; it's her son, a long, long time ago. Isn't it awesome?!Thanks for sharing, Heidi :)

***My sister Michelle led me to a pretty interesting site called GoTryItOn. You can ask a perfect stranger how you look in a certain outfit or offer advice to others who've posted their pics. It's fun!

***Still very, very unhappy with Disqus for hiding all of Mom's get well messages from me and not responding to my pleas to fix it. Grrrrrr... And BTW, Mom is doing great :)

***Random, funny conversation between my kids in the car....

Kendall, talking about a friend of a friend, "He works at Red Lobster, so he's really a good cook."

Kyle, in response, "Kendall, that's like saying, 'He's a really great entertainer, on the stage at Chuck E. Cheeses.'" These kids are always cracking me up!

***Solo and Ensemble is this weekend for Kendall, and I am so excited! She and three friends are singing a barbershop-style Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Kendall's also singing a solo in Italian. It's always a treat to listen to my songbird; I'll definitely videotape, so stay "tuned!"

Now it's your turn to "spring forward" with your fragments (I'm so clever, huh?! haha) Link up your FRIDAY FRAGMENTS post here (other posts will be deleted, sorry):

Thousand Words Thursday [Warning: Gross Alert]

Guess what this is....

Jen, at Cheaper Than Therapy, hosts a weekly meme called Thousand Words Thursday. Stop by to see "pictures that say a thousand words."

Okay, do you give up?

Did you know that it's not appropriate to flush most unused prescription drugs down the toilet? I was just following my government's suggestion for disposing of prescription drugs in a responsible manner:

1) Mix them with something that will hide the medicine or make it unappealing, such as cat litter or coffee grounds.
2) Place the mixture in a sealed container, such as a plastic bag.
3) Throw the container in your household trash.

The sad thing is that I'm pretty sure an addict to pain killers might actually be willing to dig through the cat poo to get to the drugs. (seriously) That said, the garbage is already on its way to the dump, so that's that.

Rants and Raves Wednesday

Rants and Raves Wednesday is brought to you by Little Ms. Blogger, at A Little Blog About Nothing. Click on the button to join in the fun!

RANT....Hey, Kid---Holding a book up in front of your face doesn't make your arm invisible; we can see you picking your nose, and it's disgusting. Get a danged Kleenex!

RAVE...Being assertive is empowering and feels soooo good. However, it takes skill; there's a fine line between being direct and honest and being aggressive. Bravo to you if you have skills for being assertive. (If not, I encourage you to learn; it's very empowering.)

RANT...If you are a novice at something, that does not mean you suck; it just means you have a lot to learn. Being closed to input from others simply because you are insecure is immature and keeps you from learning. Stop being pig-headed, and you might learn something that makes you feel great!

RAVE...This weather!!! Sooooo....warm! So mild! Such sunshine!

RANT....I hate when I catch myself doing the very thing that I complains about other people doing. I hope I'm not pig-headed....

RAVE....Figaro's Pizza--It's not only delicious, but the owners of the Figaro's around here really deserve recognition for their generosity when it comes to the schools and community. (You Ignarski's rock! Thanks for all you do for kids :)

RANT....I hate when something bad happens (stubbed toe, chore not being done, deadline missed) and I have no one to blame but myself!

RAVE...Our middle school, which has a reputation for putting on some incredible musicals, is in production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. You are not going to believe the sets on this thing! And our "Charlie," who happens to be a young lad in our homeroom, is going to be fantastic; the perfect mix of sweet, innocent, smart, and talented. I can't wait til May!!

RANT....I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that the new, failed attempt to make "Preston Scavo" (of Desperate Housewives) look older is absolutely ridiculous. Please! They could have at least given him a goat or fu-man look, rather than making him look like a flipping 80's porn star. Was it the idea of some 60-year-old, male (porn-watching) executive whom everyone's afraid to disagree with? If so, I'll stick my neck out and say, "Dude-Your idea sucks rocks! Ick!

RAVE...A student who was sitting across the room from me today sent me an email message. She is normally pretty disagreeable and snippy, so I appreciate it all the more. It read simply, "your the best." Ya gotta love it (correct spelling or not.)

Got rants? Got raves? Join Little Ms Blogger's meme and have fun!

Sexting

Friday night...kids away...Mr. and Mrs.4444 had the house to ourselves...

Hours later, Kendall texts:

"On our way home...put clothes on."

My reply: "LOL! If you only knew!"

She replied, "omg mom. Gag. You're too old."


Hey, she asked for it! Besides, you're never too old to gross your kids out, right?

Well, there is one more thing...

Mom was moving pretty slowly; it was the evening following her back surgery. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, the first time fully upright in hours, looking a little pathetic in her little hospital gown, messy hair, and furrowed eyebrows (the result of a wicked headache she'd been fighting all day. The nurse had come to take her to the bathroom before bed, and after a few minutes, she helped her stand and steady herself before walking the short distance to the bathroom. We were trying to problem-solve the headache but weren't really coming up with anything. As Mom hobbled, ever-so-slowly, towards the destination, the nurse said,

"Well, we've given you Thisadol for the headache; a migraine med, actually, so that should have helped. And there's the Thatadol for the pain and the Whatchamadol for the anti-inflammatory, plus the I.V., so I think we have everything covered..."

Mom stops, lifts up her head to meet the nurse's eyes, and says with a grin, "....except for my rear end."

Oops. Almost everything covered...

Weekly Winners/Sundays in My City

Fog is the name of the game in these parts this week. It's been so suddenly warm that the snow is melting quickly, and fog has been hanging around for days.

These photos were taken at 7am and 3:30pm.

(I put the frames on in Picnik and applied "Boost" to the first one.)

And finally, remember Mr.4444's masterpiece from just two weeks ago?

Just a few offerings this week, but there are plenty more shots from places near and far at Sarcastic Mom's and Unknown Mami's places. Stop by and say "Hi!"

Because I can never get enough...

How cool are these?

And how cool is this button?!

Entering is easy! Visit Leigh if you'd like to win!