Wordless Wednesday - (1 day late ) First Flowers of Spring

Gardening Season Begins

Today is a bright, sunny day and temperatures are in the 60's for this afternoon and the rest of this week. It is the first sunny and warm weekend we've had this year and I was bit by the gardening bug.

Yesterday I started to clean up my plant beds and today I took the boys to buy some plants. We also found some seed packets on sale for 15 cents. I have learned from last year that while the yield per these sale packets may not be optimal, you can't beat the price. I let the boys go wild and pick out almost any seed type ( I nixed the watermelon and cantaloupe seeds - not enough space in the vegetable garden ) and we ended up with 32 packets.

Total purchase price for seeds and plants came to just under $40.

I found this toad while cleaning up a flower bed. He seems to have made his home under the Lamb's Ear plants. The boys are keeping him hydrated with their squirt guns.

Wordless Wednesday - Household Tip: How to dispose of bacon grease

How I Spent My Spring Break

We had what my husband likes to refer to as our "Worst Spring Break- Ever"; we worked day & night to move my business. While moving is very stressful, it is a great way to get rid of crap, as well as test a marriage.

I am happy to say that we survived and I am out of my old space. I still have a ton of work to do to get organized but at least all my stuff is in one place.

My boys didn't mind the long hours. They were allowed to watch t.v. and play video games for hours at a time; mostly unsupervised. They were able to sneak in episodes of the Simpsons, Family Guy and much to my horror, American Dad!

In case there is any doubt that I am a Bad Momma, this Easter clinches it. I was short on time and energy so I picked up a bunch of assorted candy, a frozen pizza and Jones Easter Soda.

After our Easter Pizza dinner, I had the boys close their eyes. In lieu of Easter baskets and an Egg hunt, I threw handfuls of assorted candy at each of their plates. When I was done doling out plastic eggs, jelly beans and chocolates; they were allowed to open their eyes and pig out.

Yesterday they had a chance to share what they did on break. My fourth grader told his class that he had to work all week but he had a great Easter filled with great candy and Easter Soda!
Apparently the teacher got a chuckle out of this and the kids were intrigued with the idea of special Easter flavors of pop.

Thanks for welcoming me back. I hope you all had a good Spring Break.

Gone Surfing - Be Back April 2

O.k. I'm not a surfer and I wish I was taking a real vacation. The truth is I am in the midst of a big project and need to take a brief break from my blog until April 2. While you are here, feel free to leave a message or blogging tip on the post below.

Hope you have a great Spring Break!

It's My Blogging Birthday!

In the novel, It's My F---ing Birthday, the protagonist, a single an bitter High School Art teacher starts an annual journal on her 36th birthday. She does a year-in-review to learn from her mistakes.
http://www.merrillmarkoe.com/birthday.html

Monday, March 17th will mark my one year "birthday" of my foray into the blogging world. I started my blog, Bad Momma as a learning tool. To celebrate my Bloggin' Birthday I have decided to reflect on the past year. This is what I have learned so far:
1. To Have a Friend, You Must Be a Friend
Not only was this a favorite piece of advice from Mom, this is the first suggestion from seasoned bloggers on how to gain friends. The best way to get noticed is to comment on other blogs and to join groups. The Mom Salon - Mombloggers Club is where I made my first blogging friends. I recently joined Cre8Buzz where I have been making lots more. I also joined in on 5 Minutes for Mom's Ultimate blog party and my readership skyrocketed for a few days! I learned it does pay to join in on the games ( if you can find the time ).

2. Laugh and the World Laughs With You
I have found that my best blog reactions have been to humorous entries. I have another blog, Color Me Bitter, which is the place I use to complain. I never get comments there.

3. My Space Is a Scary Place Where You Can be Vulnerable to Stalkers
http://bad-momma.blogspot.com/2007/04/my-space-friend-tom.html

4. My Space Tom is not a Stalker.
http://bad-momma.blogspot.com/2007/04/myspace-tom-im-sorry.html

5. Statcounter is a Great Tool
Midway through my blogging year, I installed Stat Counter, which is free for the bare minimum service. It is interesting to see how visitors are finding you. You can also find out what key words are being used.

I found that Sea Monkeys seem to be making a comeback and many guests come to me via this post.
http://bad-momma.blogspot.com/2007/09/sea-monkeys-making-comeback.html

I also am happy to report that I am not the only person to mistake Clorox Wipes as hand & face wipes. This is one of my most popular posts in word searches.
http://bad-momma.blogspot.com/search?q=clorox+wipes

The most disturbing string of search words " how to quietly break a car window" leads what I assume to be aspiring thieves to this post. I am a bit alarmed that this is a popular search.
http://bad-momma.blogspot.com/2007/11/tis-season-to-be-careful.html


6. You Don't Have to Be a Great Writer
Keeping it real and striking a common chord is more important than being a great writer. I was intimidated at first, knowing that a few of my blog friends are professional writers. So far no one has been critical of grammar or spelling mistakes. Posts can be corrected after they are published. A bigger priority is to post when you are inspired and to keep your content fresh, so that your friends keep coming back to visit.


7. Anything You Say Can & Will Be Used Against You
Your blog is not a private diary. You should assume the worst; anyone can read your blog, including the people you write about. Even though most of us use pseudonyms, it is not impossible for others to find out your real identity. People have lost jobs over blogs. Jen Lancaster reveals in her book Bitter is the New Black how she lost out on a job when a rival "outed" Jen's blog to the future employer. College students are warned that employers have been known to use MySpace and Face Book in background checks.


8. Blogging is Addictive
My blog has turned out to be much more than I expected. Not only is it a tool for learning, it has been a great way to keep track of events in my life. I also have "met" a lot of very nice Bloggers and am having a blast. Somehow my life seems so much more interesting when I put it into writing. I am struggling with striking a balance and need to make sure I am not neglecting my "real life" duties.

What I Want to Learn:

Friend requests : What is the protocol for dealing with unanswered friend requests? At what point do you retract your unanswered offer of friendship?

How important are rankings? What benchmarks are helpful? What stats should I strive for?

Links to other Blog Friends - Should I take the initiative and add links to the sites of blog friends or should I ask first?

Thanks for coming to my party and for helping to make my first year a great one! In lieu of gifts, please leave me your best advice on how to become a successful blogger or an important lesson that you learned.

Wordless Wednesday - My Addictions

In no particular order:

Coffee

Blogging & Cre8Buzz

Sales at Macy's

Chocolate

I Baked Some Cookies For the Blog Party!

Thanks for coming to visit. I will have a party post soon... Meanwhile help yourself to some fresh baked cookies while you take a look around.
Best part is that they are special calorie-free Toll House Cookies. Take as many as you like! Oh, wait! I guess that calorie-free thing only works for you. I better stop chowing down.... Enjoy!

Spring Ahead - Blizzard of '08 - March 9 - Update

Hard to Believe that it's Spring Ahead Time!

For those of you who were wondering, the plows came through early this morning. My good neighbor, once again, came out with his snowblower. As I type, he is busy clearing the sidewalk all the way to the corner and the ends of several driveways.

My hubby is planning to go to the store soon for fresh rations. Yea! We're not going to starve. I don't think we would have cut it as a Frontier Family.

Maybe we'll bake some cookies later today. I'll have to send a plate over next door!

p.s. Don't Forget to " Spring Ahead " and set your clocks ahead one hour!

4:00 p.m. Finally got to make that snowman! My work here is done!

Snow and Order - March 8, 2008

Episode: Snowed In

Background Story: Yesterday, when I left for work, there was no snow on the ground. Originally the blizzard was set to start Thursday night. Both myself and my boys left the house in our street shoes. They were disappointed that there was no snow day and I was laughing at the weather forecasters.

About 10:00 a.m. is when the flurries started and by 2:30 p.m., I forwarded my work # to my cellphone, called UPS & told them not to bother stopping by for the daily pick up. We were not only starting to get some serious snowfall, we also had 30 mph winds that were causing the snow to drift a bit.

I went straight home, resisting the urge to stop at the grocery store. It took twice as long as normal to travel the 7 mile route. Thankfully, everyone was driving carefully.

I made it home shortly after my kids, who arrived home with snow-filled shoes. They were drying out in front of the t.v.

We played a game of Monopoly, had dinner, watched more t.v. and went to bed. Wondering what tomorrow would bring...

Saturday, March 8, 2008

8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.- Woke up, looked outside in amazement, had some breakfast and took photos.

9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. - Realized I needed coffee, frantically searched and finally remembered where I stashed some fresh packets. I made a fresh pot of my "Go-Juice"

10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. - Made a quick blog post ( on Blogger ). I seem to be having difficulty and getting error messages.??? I'll try again later. I looked outside to see more flurries. I am now getting worried about our food supply and decide to do a photo inventory. ( Note to self: We need more milk and pulp-free o.j.)

11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. - Hubby wakes up, showers and makes pancakes. I go to start my laundry and find he beat me to the machines. Drat! Decide to play some more at " The Buzz ". Wow, that Stacey is quite prolific! Thanks Stacey for all your comments!

I notice some of my neighbors starting to shovel their driveways. Our next door neighbor is outside with his snowblower. He not only does our walks but the half of our driveway not blocked by cars and helps the neighbor across the street! What a great guy!

12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. - Throw in a load of laundry and make the boys turn off the t.v. I pour myself another cup'o joe and go back to my computer. The boys play a card game.

1:00 p.m. - I am called to attend to my middle child who sustained back injuries in a wrestling match with his older brother. I make the oldest put the wet laundry in the dryer while I check for any broken bones.

1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Everyone is thrown outside. When I discover that the snow is too fluffy to pack, I scrap the idea of making a snowman. I go back inside for my camera....

3:00 p.m. - 4:45 Time to sign off and play Uno with my youngest!.....Hubby comes in, takes off wet clothes, sits quietly in corner, crying. He is frozen and hurts all over from shoveling and tells me to get the 2 older boys inside. I call them in but they pretend not to hear as they are busy hollowing out some snow shelters. I try luring them in with hot cocoa. They are not biting. I pull out the big guns and offer up promises of fresh-baked cookies. They drop everything and come in. As we search the cabinets for ingredients, we find out the brown sugar is rock hard and beyond stale. Plan B - we make brownies. ( note to self: add brown sugar, shortening and a 9 x 9 baking pan to grocery list. )

6:00 p.m - It looks like the snow has tapered off. No sign of any snow plows yet. Could be a few days. Food supplies are holding up.Time to think about making dinner....

In like a lion?

You know the expression - " March - In like a lion, out like a lamb." Well, the weather better be nice in a few weeks! The weather has been crazy here. We are supposed to get 10 - 14 " of snow.
Looks like we'll be house-bound today!

The news last night showed panic-stricken shoppers stripping supermarket shelves like bands of hungry locusts. I'm not sure this is really necessary. I grew up in Cleveland, where a few feet of snow was no big deal. However, we also had snow-tires, a regular plowing service and were used to driving in these conditions.

Regardless, we are talking about 1 or 2 days of snow-showers and blowing, drifting snow. I'm not sure I see a reason to worry, ...yet! We usually have about a week's worth of groceries before we would have to survive on a diet of canned peas and macaroni. This might be a good way to clean out our cabinets. We could bake cookies, watch movies, play board games and really bond as a family unit.

I sure hope we have enough food!

Wordless Wednesday - The Give-Away Pile

Knitted Potholder from Long Gone Grandma
(from the lost collection of Sock Monkeys, Knitted flowers with
Sea-shell centers and Barbi-Doll With Long
Crocheted Hoop Skirt / Toilet Tissue Cover)

Petrified Wood Wine Opener and Cork Set

Pink Art-Deco Vase circa 1988 - Mint Condition

I found my marbles. I'm keeping these!

Saki Set won in a Karate Dojo Raffle

An old 35 MM Film Camera and a Poloroid One Step Camera

Nifty Pink Ice Bucket from my 80's Single Days

I Voted Today!

Spring Cleaning

Spring Cleaning is just another title for rediscovering all your old "treasures" that have been tucked away, collecting dust.

My hubby picked up a bunch of steel shelving racks and plastic tubs from Sam's Club. He has been going through the boys' rooms, our closets and under the beds and conducting a re-organization. I guess you could say our family's possessions are going through a "down-sizing".

The toys that are being kept for now, have been transferred to the basement. My husband has these items neatly organized in clearly labeled tubs and housed on these nifty rolling racks!

The recently "pink slipped" household items are sitting in piles in the living room, waiting to be taken to Good Will. ( I may have to post some " Hall of Shame" photos on Wordless Wednesday before we ship these unwanted goods out. )

A side effect of this Spring Cleaning is that the boys have suddenly re-gained interest in long forgotten toys. They have been spending lots of time in the basement these days reconnecting with their re-located belongings.

It's kind of cute watching my 11 year old play with his toddler Lego set. He was a bit embarrassed to be caught and jumped up right before I took his picture! I guess I'm not the only one in the family that is nostalgic for the "good old days"!

True Confessions

Tara from If MomSaysOK has a post about guilty mom confessions on a website called True Mom Confessions. http://www.truemomconfessions.com/

I had to go check it out. Quite a clever way to write a book - get a bunch of unknown, unpaid writers to help! The website allows moms a way to anonymously leave a confession as long as you agree to the rules. Brilliant!

I couldn't resist and I left a confession of my own.


Mommy's Cookies

My favorite cookies are Pepperidge Farms Mint Milanos. I keep them on the top shelf of a cabinet. I do not share them. The boys know these are Mommy's Cookies and are off-limits to them. When my husband goes to the grocery store and wants to be in my good graces he picks up a pack. When I am craving a cookie, open the cabinet, and see a fresh package, I feel loved.

Do you think I am a bad person for not sharing? I feel a little guilty about this. But not enough to stop bogarting the Milanos.

I wonder if my confession will be posted. How many other confessors will click on "me too".?
Please don't judge me....

Wordless Wednesday - Snow Days

What we like to do on snowy days... ( Captions don't count, do they?)

Put on Our Boots and Snowpants and Play Outside

Build a Snowman

Read a Good Book


Tinker with Tinkertoys

Take a Nap ( my favorite thing to do! )

Signs of Times Past

My husband decided to go through some of the boxes in our basement and get rid of some junk. He came across my old matchbook collection. While I see memories of the fabulous '80's, my safety-minded hubby was thinking "Fire Hazard!"

I thought I'd go through them before giving my prized collection to a friend who is a collector of Stamps, Postcards and other memorabilia. Below are a few quick photos I took before giving up my beloved collection. ( that I had not touched for 20 years!)

Canada - Summer 1977 - High School Graduation Trip with Friends

New England - circa 1982 -1984
I lived in Worcester, MA for 2 1/2 years



California 1983 - 1990
Collected over several vacations and business trips

Chicago - 1990

No Idea Where These Came From???

Political Science for Dummies

File this under Politically Incorrect: This was forwarded to me today & thought it was "Blog-worthy"!DEMOCRATIC You have two cows.Your neighbor has none.You feel guilty for being successful. Barbara Streisand sings for you.

REPUBLICAN You have two cows.Your neighbor has none. So?

SOCIALIST You have two cows.The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor. You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.

COMMUNIST You have two cows.The government seizes both and provides you with milk. You wait in line for hours to get it.It is expensive and sour.

CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE You have two cows.You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.

BUREAUCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE You have two cows.Under the new farm program the government pays you to shoot one, milk the other, and then pours the milk down the drain.

AMERICAN CORPORATION You have two cows.You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one. You force the two cows to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when one cow drops dead. You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses.Your stock goes up.

FRENCH CORPORATION You have two cows.You go on strike because you want three cows. You go to lunch and drink wine. Life is good.

JAPANESE CORPORATION You have two cows.You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains.Most are at the top of their class at cow school.

GERMAN CORPORATION You have two cows.You engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of beer, give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour. Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year.

ITALIAN CORPORATION You have two cows but you don't know where they are. While ambling around, you see a beautiful woman.You break for lunch. Life is good.

RUSSIAN CORPORATION You have two cows.You have some vodka.You count them and learn you have five cows. You have some more vodka.You count them again and learn you have 42 cows.The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have.

TALIBAN CORPORATION You have all the cows in Afghanistan , which are two.You don't milk them because you cannot touch any creature's private parts. You get a $40 million grant from the US government to find alternatives to milk production but use the money to buy weapons.

IRAQI CORPORATION You have two cows. They go into hiding.They send radio tapes of their mooing.

POLISH CORPORATION You have two bulls. Employees are regularly maimed and killed attempting to milk them.

BELGIAN CORPORATION You have one cow.The cow is schizophrenic. Sometimes the cow thinks she's French, other times she's Flemish. The Flemish cow won't share with the French cow.The French cow wants control of the Flemish cow's milk.The cow asks permission to be cut in half.The cow dies happy.

FLORIDA CORPORATION You have a black cow and a brown cow. Everyone votes for the best looking one. Some of the people who actually like the brown one best accidentally vote for the black one. Some people vote for both. Some people vote for neither. Some people can't figure out how to vote at all. Finally, a bunch of guys from out-of-state tell you which one you think is the best-looking cow.

CALIFORNIA CORPORATION You have millions of cows. They make real California cheese.Only five speak English. Most are illegals. Arnold likes the ones with the big udders.

The Secret to Happiness

The secret to happiness is ...Low Expectations!

I saw a report last night on 60 Minutes where the second year in a row, the happiest place on earth is Denmark. According to the story, no one was more surprised than the Danes, themselves. They live low key, low stress lives with low expectations.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/14/60minutes/main3833797.shtml?source=mostpop_story

Pessimists of the world rejoice! Maybe a half-full glass is not so bad after all.

The Best Valentines Day Gifts

I am a difficult person to buy gifts for. I have simple tastes and don't really need much. Anything I might "need", such as clothes, shoes, and cosmetics, I buy for myself. I have all the bling I need: my lovely wedding and engagement rings, a nice watch and a small amount of fine jewelry. I have a retail business and am surrounded by gourmet food and gift items on a daily basis. I am always hard pressed to come up with a "Wish List".

My favorite holiday presents are those money can't buy: coming home to a happy, healthy, loving family; a nice note from a teacher and a customer leaving a compliment for a job well done on my answering machine. These three gifts made my Valentines Day special.

The knowledge that I have made a positive impact on someone's life is the best gift of all. I prefer "presence" over "presents" any day.

The Last Valentine's Gift

Valentine's Day is only a few days away. I was just emailed this story, author unknown. Let this be a cautionary tale for you men out there!

A husband walks into Victoria 's Secret to purchase a sheer negligee for his wife. He is shown several possibilities that range from $250 to $500 in price, the more sheer, the higher the price. Naturally, he opts for the sheerest item pays the $500 and takes it home. He presents it to his wife and asks her to go upstairs, put it on, and model it for him.

Upstairs, the wife thinks, "I have an idea. It's so sheer that it might as well be nothing. I won't put it on, but I'll do the modeling naked, return it tomorrow, and keep the $500 refund for myself." So she appears naked on the balcony and strikes a pose.

The husband says, "Good Grief! You'd think for $500, they'd at least iron it!"

He never heard the shot.

Funeral on Thursday at Noon. Closed coffin.

Parent - Teacher Conferences

This past week, I attended Parent-Teacher conferences for my boys.

These meetings are scheduled for a mere 15 minutes. How can a discussion of this magnitude even scratch the surface in this time??? Our children are our pride and joy; or at least a major part of our lives. This is the one topic that I can blather on about incessantly.Can you imagine getting a fifteen minute performance review at work? I felt like I was speed dating!

Speed Conferencing
I rushed from work to get to school, barely on time. Breathlessly I arrive to a closed door. There was a sign on the door, " Please knock when it is your scheduled conference time." I looked at my watch. it was my time now and I gently knocked.
A few minutes went by and I peered through the window into the room. The teacher and parent, seated at a table seemed unaware of my presence.
"Did they hear my knock?" I wondered.
Should I try again or wait patiently? As I struggled with this issue and was about to tap the door again, I noticed some signs that the meeting was coming to a close. The straightening of papers, slowly pushing away from the table and finally standing up and heading toward the door, signaled that it was finally my turn.
I glanced at my watch as I headed into the classroom. My scheduled time is half over!
I have 7 minutes to discuss my child before spilling into the next parent's time.
It seemed like we were just getting started when I heard a tapping on the door. I followed the teacher's lead and tried to ignore the fact that I was now encroaching on the next session. I couldn't help but feel rushed. I breezed through the rest of the conference trying to pick up one or two areas that I can help my child with. As I left the classroom, avoiding eye contact with the waiting party, I looked at my watch. I had used my alloted time and left the next parent in the same time deficit.
Fortunately I had seven minutes until my next conference. We learned our lesson from last year and made sure there were no back to back sessions. Last year we had a chatty teacher that was running 10 minutes behind followed by a teacher who was a stickler for staying on schedule. Needless to say, things did not go well.

My 6:00 conference started on time! I was amazed! I asked the teacher how she was able to stay on time. It turned out she lost 30 minutes of her 45 minute dinner break to get back on schedule. I tried to make sure I kept to my time slot!

I think next time I will take either the first or last time slots.

Eating Game - Initial Results

We started our contest last week, on Wednesday, mid-week, to see how our game would work. I had some success. The competition is getting my problem child to slowly re-try foods that he had been rejecting over the last several years. Macaroni & Cheese is our first hit. Bacon was another winner.

While the Eating Game was designed to help my middle child, my other two boys have been becoming better eaters. Unfortunately they are way ahead of their finicky brother and will have no problem winning enough points for the weekly rewards. It will be much more difficult for my picky eater.

Tonight was not a good night for my middle son. We had Blackened Salmon Fillets, Rice Pilaf and Corn. Dessert was freshly baked peanut butter cookies. Two boys ate like champs; one did not.

All my middle son had to eat was a tiny bite of each item. This would qualify for a mini cookie. I put a few very tiny portions of each food on his plate. If he ate everything, he would get a big cookie with a Hershey's Kiss. He kept trying to re-negotiate to only having to take a microscopic bit of the Salmon and not having to try the rice or corn. I held firm.

Alex could have eaten something else but there would be no points rewarded. He went to bed without eating dinner in protest.
I did let him pick tomorrow night's dinner. He chose Mac and Cheese.

I am hesitant to make the rules easier for one child and tougher for the others. I am hoping my middle child will not get discouraged.

Sign In Saturday

I was up late & it is now Saturday Morning. If anyone happens to stop by today, " Happy Sign- In Saturday!"

Take a moment & identify yourself with a quick comment. If you leave a link, I'll visit and return the favor!

The Eating Game

I'm not sure what happened to my middle child, who is now 9 years old. Sometime between the ages of two and three, he dramatically changed his eating habits. Alex went from being the "Baby Who Ate Broccoli" to "Mr. Picky Eater".

As a toddler, Alex had a pretty diverse pallet. He ate steak, broccoli, mashed potatoes, chicken, hot dogs, apples, oranges, grapes, ... the list goes on. One by one he developed food phobias and dropped to only a handful of items he would eat.
The current food list:

Breakfast: Poptarts, Eggo Waffles, Chocolate Chip Pancakes with chocolate syrup and Fruit Loops (dry, no milk).

Beverages: Milk, Pop, Orange Juice, Chocolate Milk & Lemonade

Lunch: Orange Creamsickle flavored Yoplait Yogurt or Cheez-its with Peanut Butter

Dinner: Pizza, Pasta with olive oil or Wendy's Chicken Nuggets ( no substitutes ).

What the Doctor Says:
Two years ago, we expressed our concern to our pediatrician. He told us not to worry, that our son was growing and was fine. Our doctor went on to tell us that he was also a picky eater as a child and eventually outgrew his food issues. He would inspire more of our confidence if our doctor was taller than 5'6" and had a healthier pallor. Of course our son was in the room and loves to quote the good doctor.

The Final Straw
This past weekend we spent the day at a family function. We were surrounded by good food. At a lunch buffet, all our problem child ate was a peanut butter cookie and for dinner - several glasses of lemonade. He did not touch his plate of made to order pasta.

Alex was already famous with my family for his plate of pretzels meal at Thanksgiving dinner, refusing to partake in any of the bountiful feast. I was angry that not only were special accommodations made for this past Saturday night's dinner, he did not take one bite. Lack of appetite was the excuse.

Food Fear Factor
As a last ditch effort before enlisting the help of a therapist, I decided to make eating a sport at our house.
Last night I sat down with the boys and had them help me design an eating game. We voted on a food list by food group. Two out of three boys were needed to approve each item on the list. We devised a point system with weekly prizes for meeting goals.

Today was the first day. I started out with easy foods and had some success. Breakfast was half a bagel with either butter or cream cheese. Dinner was Macaroni and Cheese. I also had applesauce and Bratwurst as additional options. Dessert was apple slices with caramel sauce.

While my other two boys are ahead in points as they are better eaters, I was able to get my finicky boy to try everything without a big fight. I am optimistic we can make some progress and perhaps come up with some techniques that work. I've tried the "Sneaky Chef" method of altering foods. This type of deception does not work well for us. I prefer taking the more straight forward approach and having my boys be part of the process.

If we succeed, perhaps we'll write a book!

Show Yourself Sunday

I was at a family function all day yesterday and I missed posting Sign-in Saturday. If anyone stumbles upon this post today, please sign in and leave a short message. It will make my day!
I will be glad to return the kindness on your blog, if you have one.

Fight Club

I saw a headline today that gave me hope. Spouses who fight live longer. Suppressed anger creates more stress which can help shorten lives.
http://news.yahoo.com/livescience/spouseswhofightlivelonger

I guess my husband and I will live long. Or will it just seem longer???

The Ultimate Reality Show

Recently I have read where Denise Richards wants to have a reality show that would involve her life as a single mother. Her young daughters, 3 year old Sam and 2 year old Lola would be involved. Charlie Sheen, Denise's ex-husband and father of the girls, objects to having his daughters involved in this project.

http://www.okmagazine.com/news/view/4024

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,324808,00.html

At first I thought a reality TV show involving young children would be a bad idea and then it hit me. There are some reality shows that would be perfect. One of our favorites is Supernanny with Jo Frost.

http://www.abc.go.com/primetime/supernanny/index?pn=index

My boys and I love this show because it makes us look good compared to the families that are showcased. For a brief moment each week, we feel a wee bit superior!

I absolutely could see ABC running a celebrity edition! After Nanny Jo works with Denise and Charlie on better shared parenting skills, which could take an entire season, she could move on to other celebs. Britney Spears, Eddie Murphy, Kate Moss, Michael Jackson, Alec Baldwin, ...... the possibilities are endless!

Sign-in Saturday / Show Yourself Sunday

Recently when blog-surfing I noticed a few blogs that asked for lurkers to identify themselves. I thought this was a great request. I am a relatively new blogger ( March of '07 ), and am a feedback junkie. I don't have advertisers and need some sort of acknowledgement.

I noticed certain days have themes: Wordless Wednesday, Four for Friday.... and decided to create my own blog day.
Drum Roll.......... Sign-in Saturday!


So, if you happen to be out there lurking, please show yourself! As this is already late afternoon on Saturday, I also propose that Sunday is... Show Yourself Sunday.

Monopoly - Root of all Evil?

I used to think that Dodgeball was the "Root of All Evil". I now would like to add Monopoly to the list. With both games, someone always ends up crying! Ever since we got the new Electronic Banking Edition for Christmas, the boys seem to be playing back to back games on the weekends. This new version of Monopoly is faster to play with larger payouts. Everything is faster... playing, going bankrupt, and even the inevitable fights that breakout. It's like I have my very own set of The Apprentice in my house!

The boys are fascinated with the programmable debit cards. They love to add money to them. My bad little boys tried to add money to their Target gift cards and I tried with my Visa debit card...It doesn't work! Stinking beeping gadget! What good is it other than to annoy me?


The Missing Notebook
Last night my 5th grader was frantically looking for his journal for school. The purple spiral-bound notebook had gone missing a few days earlier and he was one day behind in entry writing for his class.

I helped in the search and found the notebook in my 1st grader's room. Apparently he "borrowed" it to write a new Monopoly rule about being able to collect $2million dollars every time a player passes GO. My 6 year old not only forgot to ask permission from his oldest brother, he also forgot he still had the journal. I wrote a note to the 5th grade teacher to explain.

Flipping Breakfast!
This morning at breakfast as I was glancing over at my 6 year old son, I noticed he was rubbing the side of his nose with his middle finger. As he was slowly stroking this finger on his nose and then tapping his cheek, he seemed to be glancing over at his 9 year old brother across the table to see if he was watching.

Wait a minute! Could this be deliberate? Is he "flipping off" his brother?

As I watched in disbelief, I noticed my baby glance in my direction. I could tell he knew what he was doing.
" Colin!" I called out. " What are you doing with that finger?"

At first he feigned innocence. I wasn't buying it. He asked, " Why? Is that bad? What does it mean?"

I had to leave the room for a moment to gain composure. I wanted to bust out laughing but knew that would not be the proper response.

My husband fielded that one. " It is sign language for a very bad word and it will get you into big trouble if you do it again!"

I re-entered the room and asked where he learned this gesture.

His brothers explained that when playing Monopoly this weekend, Colin kept tapping the board with his middle finger. They told him not to do it, that it was like using a swear-word. I guess he thought he'd test that out at the breakfast table in front of Mom & Dad!

Wait a minute... " Hey! How do you guys know about this?" I inquired of my older two boys.

I guess we need to add Riding the School Bus to "The Evil List"!

Meanest Mom Sells Car

I guess that I'm not the baddest mom on the planet. Maybe it's 'cause my boys aren't old enough to drive.

This is another headline today that made me smile. Apparently a mom in Fort Dodge, Iowa found a bottle of booze under the driver's seat of her teenage son's car. She promptly took out an ad to sell the car.

"OLDS 1999 Intrigue
Totally uncool parents who obviously don't love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for 3 weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet."

http://www.desmoinesregister.com Meanest Mom Sells Car

I think what she did is awesome!

Check Cashing with Bernie?

This morning a saw a headline from the AP that made me smile and think of the movie, "Weekend at Bernie's". Apparently two men in New York, wheeled a dead man in an office chair to a check-cashing store to cash his social security check. File this under: It seemed like a good idea at the time!" / stupid criminal stories.


" Pair bring corpse to store to cash check "

By MARCUS FRANKLIN
NEW YORK (AP) -- Two men wheeled a dead man through the streets in an office chair to a check-cashing store and tried to cash his Social Security check before being arrested on fraud charges, police said.

to read more follow link below
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DEAD_MANS_CHECK?SITE=OKOKL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Reasons to Have Children - V

Reason # 5 - To Pass on Your DNA


My husband found an old mold of my 12 year old pre-orthodontics teeth. He had my oldest son ( now 11 ) hold them up next to his mouth. Mmmm.. wonder whose teeth he has???

We've already started saving up for braces!