I Should Have Bred Iguanas...

Bad Doggies and a Question for Ya

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:43:00 +0000

Gooooooood Morning!

Now that the coffee and Allegra-D have kicked in and I've cared for my pretend farms on Facebook, I guess you can say my day has officially started.

Our beloved, lucky-to-be-alive boxer Aly has made the 'naughty list' for the day. Apparently, Aly knows more than she lets on. Boxers are tricky when it comes to learning things. I read an article somewhere that said that, while they can learn things very quickly, they can just as quickly 'unlearn' them. They seem to have a very large capacity to learn, but the thickness of their skulls get in the way just the same. Aly can learn things quickly. With the help of a clicker trainer and a couple of treats, I had her lying down on command in a matter of minutes. But, at the same time, she still forgets to answer to her own name!

So, why do we choose a breed of dog that can be so totally frustrating? Because, even with all of that, they are amazing dogs for families. They respond really well with children and can come off quite intimidating to strangers. Even though it's not a good idea to be right in a dog's face with your own, that is where Aly prefers you to be. Her favorite moments are when her face is mere inches from a person's face so she can stare lovingly into their eyes. Her eyes tell such a story! They make the anger melt away, even if she did just steal another five pound bag of apples and sneak them out the dog door to spread them all over the yard, rendering them no longer fit for human consumption. She does the same with loaves of bread and my yarn. Yes, MY YARN. Her favorite yarn is sock yarn, which can also be some of the most expensive yarn I own, not to mention the most difficult to untangle.

Some days, that stupid dog is lucky to be alive!

Then, just as I'm at the end of my rope with her, she finds me sitting somewhere and lays her head in my lap and looks up and me with those eyes. THOSE DAMN EYES, I TELL YA! They work like a charm on me. And she knows it.

(See above picture if you don't believe me. The face and body have changed significantly, but she still has those SAME EYES!)

I just wonder how long her eyes can save her. It has come to our attention that Aly knows how to work a zipper.

A few weeks ago, we had gone somewhere for a couple of hours and my new camera was sitting on a table in the living room, carefully zipped up in its case. I swear it was! However, I came home to the camera bag sitting on the floor next to the table, with my camera sitting a foot or two away. There wassn't a single scratch or mark on the camera to be found, yet it wasn't where I had left it. Though I KNEW that I had left the bag on the table zipped closed, I couldn't bring myself to believe that a dog could have unzipped it. In addition to the whole 'no opposable thumbs thing,' I'd just assumed that she would have sooner chewed through the bag to get to whatever was inside. (And my best guess as to why she would even want the camera is that it smells like me and had been regularly attached to me in some way a good portion of the past couple of months. I mean, who doesn't love a new toy right?)

So, it bothered me that I didn't know for sure how the camera had gotten there, but I got over it just the same. After all, nothing had been damaged and I learned to keep my camera someplace else. Someplace HIGHER, to be more specific. Plus, are dogs even capable of learning how to use zippers?

This brings us back to this morning, when we awoke to find the backpack that David keeps his laptop in unzipped. David had left it zipped up, sitting in the living room floor when he went to bed last night. (Which also proves that he might 'unlearn' things just as quickly as the dog!) A Ziploc bag full of random little 'extras' that David likes to keep with him while he's at work was missing, but quickly recovered from the backyard. (Who said men don't need to carry purses?) The most aggravating part of the whole thing was that the power cord for his laptop had been chewed on. This caused various expletives to pour from David's mouth, which caused the dog to to hang her head and hurry out the dog door before he'd even uttered her name or made eye contact with her.

I've read a few books and Googled the topic a bit, and I'm pretty sure that we need to get a larger crate that we can start putting her in when we're sleeping or away from the house. While she's completely housebroken, she's still only nine months old and cannot completely be trusted. Poor Aly lacks any sense of impulse control. While she loves children, she usually ends up knocking them over at the sight of them. She even does that with our children...the ones she LIVES WITH. She would never hurt fly. Wait. That's not true...she actually eats flies! But she lives in the moment so much that she ends up being a giant pain in the arse most of the time.

Then, she looks at me with those &#%$ eyes.

We chose to get a boxer because of Hogan. Hogan was awesome! However, Hogan was around eleven years old when we started letting him come into the house. He had been an outside dog all of his life, happily living with his companion, Hercules. After Hercules passed, we knew it wouldn't be fair to leave him outside all alone. Instead of getting another dog that he may or may not bond with like he did his old friend, we started letting him into the house. He was the perfect dog...with the exception of the the smell! He was a old dog that began to be covered in tumors (which is another 'boxer thing'...YAY!) and he just got this smell about him. But he was an old man, he still had the 'puppy-like sparkle' in his eyes but he was the picture of calmness and self control. While neither David or myself never knew Hogan as a puppy, I get the feeling he might have been almost as obnoxious as Aly can be.

So, I guess a new crate and some obedience classes are in Aly's near future. I mean, so we can ensure that she'll actually have a future here!

Speaking of Hogan, I was watching some old videos I'd uploaded to YouTube a few years ago. This one video grabs my attention and, evidently, it grabs the attention of others. Around 126,000 others, to be precise. This video has been viewed more than 126,000 times. And I have no idea why! It's nothing special, really! 3YO (who was 1YO at the time) has the phone in her hand and she's talking to Grandma. I try to get the phone back from her, and she resists. Hogan makes an appearance. The lighting is dim, the video quality is atrocious, and it's not even all that interesting. I think I only uploaded it so I could share it with my mom and maybe post it on my blog when I had nothing of interest to blog about.

So, here's the video. If you know something I don't about this video, like where it could be linked to be getting such an obscene amount of traffic, I'd love for you to share. In the meantime, this is certainly no 'Charlie Bit My Finger' but...enjoy!

If you think something is fool-proof, that might just prove you're the fool!

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:27:00 +0000

My name is Leann and I'm a 'calendar junkie.'

I haven't always had this problem. At least, I don't think so. I feel like spent most of my life taking things one day, one minute at a time. Then again, I still feel like I sort of do that. But, then what exactly would explain the many different calendar and planner-type thingies that I have surrounding me?

Maybe the main thing I really lack is focus. I can't remember the last time I started something and finished it without dropping it at least a dozen times, and finishing it at all is a rarity!

I have this huge desk calendar that is completely blank. (You know, you write in the days and everything.) I just decided to update it, especially when I looked at it and noticed the last month on there was MAY. Geez...I really need to follow through on things! How are my children even still alive at this point?

I have so many calendar and planner pages and books and websites that you might even think I'd be organized. Nothing could be further from the truth! I just feel like, if I found the perfect calendar or system, life would just fall into place. Isn't that what happens?

It's not???

I also go very 'gung ho,' if you will, when I first get a new idea or system. I try to put every detail and thing on it. Then, I fill it up, get overwhelmed at what my life actually looks like on paper, and put it away for a week (or twelve!). I mean, I even end up scheduling the day I need to clean out the fridge before the garbage pickup every week and when my regular bills are due. I thought it would be easier to have my online calendar sending me messages a week or so before each bill was due. But, do you know what I do with a reminder that tells me I need to do something in a week? Yeah, I ignore it. After all, I still have another week before it's due!

Did you see that one coming? I certainly should have...but I didn't.

The same naive optimism that helps me roll with the punches also causes me to drop the ball here and there. But, then again...I usually have a lot of balls in the air! I am so apprehensive to commit to appointments because I have a little voice in the back of my mind that tells me I could be forgetting something. I'm usually not. Truthfully, when I am really forgetting something I don't even think about it until I missed it. That little voice that makes me doubt myself is nowhere to be found when there is actually something to forget.

Now, I need to close this before I forget (AGAIN) that I need to be somewhere in an hour. It keeps slipping my mind somehow. I KNOW!

I have plenty of time, so I'll just get ready later.

I keep thinking that over and over again, until it IS 'later' and I'm still in my PJs with my messy hair and eye boogers. (I know...HAAAWWWT!!!) And when it comes to showing up on time with eye boogers or showing up late without them, I choose the latter. And I'm sure the rest of the world is grateful for that.

39 Day's 'Till Christmas!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:20:00 +0000

Heeheehee...sorry! I just couldn't resist!

We've been busy with more decluttering and moving some things around. I have to say, I feel like I can breathe a lot better now! I found this little 'Christmas Countdown' thing that never got put with the Christmas stuff and decided to just hang it on a doorknob as a reminder of sorts.

We put some more shelves up in the living room and I officially have a 'yarn and craft corner' that is organized. For now. We'll just see how this new system actually applies to real life! I'm really encouraged that David and I seem to be on the exact same page when it comes to the living room. I think we may have been in sync all along, we just assumed we weren't!

Evidently, communication is a GOOD THING. Who knew???

Well, I have some furniture to rearrange and an actual deadline, so I can't be here long. 3YO has been golfing on the Wii most of the morning and I've misused most of my time. I'm feeling the pressure of the impending holidays and the chaos that they bring, but I'm also pretty excited about it.

So..if my blog title gave you a knot in your stomach...SORRY!

Christmas Knitting, Cordless Sharks, and the Cat in the Dryer

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:22:00 +0000

Yes, 3YO has that look of ultimate suffering while 6YO gets a turn 'vacuuming.' This is probably the only time in our lives where they will argue over to *GETS* to do a chore!

Hmm....we should buy a new vacuum more often!

So, the weather is finally cooling down and some of the trees are actually changing color. Thanksgiving is officially less than two weeks away, leaving Christmas right around the corner. I love this time of year, but so much of it seems to go by far too quickly. (Unless, of course, I'm standing in line, which is when I tend to cuss this time of year under my breath and ten minutes feels more like a week! I think we all have our own 'inner Grinch' in one way or another!) So, we are already embracing all that we love about the holidays. Yesterday marked the first day this year that we've listened to Christmas music in the house. I listened to my favorite Christmas cd in the car a week ago because it takes me to my 'happy place' without getting on the nerves of others....yet! My girls love it and we all sing our hearts out in the car together. (Another plus: It's a great change of pace from all the arguing, which DOESN'T take me to my happy place!)

It's also the time of year that the tea kettle earns its keep, along with a permanent place on the kitchen counter....at least until spring! Break out the peppermint tea and oatmeal packets...cold weather has arrived!

In anticipation of Christmas, I've been knitting like madwoman. I wish I could post what I'm doing, but that would almost guarantee that the recipients would choose to read this blog post.

It's 'Murphy's Law of Blogging'...haven't you heard?

I like having several projects on the needles at once. I am not meant to be a 'monogamous knitter' and like to have projects that could suit whatever time, place, and/or mood I might be in. Sometimes my knitting needs to be mindless to mesh with the chaos that might be surrounding me. (Okay, so that's most of the time.) On rare occasions, things get a little quiet around me and my brain needs a 'exercise,' if you will. I've got a project for every situation...along with about a dozen or so that I may never touch again because they are evil and make me feel stupid.

In other news, I broke down and bought another Cordless Shark. I bought one a few years ago and loved it...until it died on me! Those things could pick up almost anything...anything but bananas, that is! It was good while it lasted, which was a good couple of years. I was looking for a new, simpler way to pick up the confetti my children habitually leave a trail of when you give them a piece of paper and the remnants of whatever something was before Aly got ahold of it. Plus, they have gone down in price! It also give the 3YO and 6YO a chance to help with the vacuuming, which makes sense because they are usually the reason the place needs a good vacuuming anyhow. For now, they take their job very seriously. It hasn't even been a week, so any minute now they are bound to hate it. For now, they have one more reason to cry and argue.

I just can't get over how bittersweet this whole 'parenting gig' can be sometimes.

Also, with the ever-cooling temps, all the creature seem to be seeking warmth. The houseflies have invaded us and we've almost gotten a handle on it. The dogs have decided to actually share the recliner that they always fight over in a effort to keep warm. And the cat has discovered the clothes dryer.

In an effort to not get buried by a mountain of clean, unfolded laundry, I've made it a habit of folding each item as I take it out of the dryer and sorting it on top of my washing machine. I'm not able to even switch the laundry from the washer to the dryer until all of the things in the dryer are sorted, folded, and put away so I never get behind. It works well for me.

It also means that I often have the dryer open with warm clothes inside for a good ten minutes or so. Snickers has discovered this and thinks it's his new bed. I turn my back for a second to find him most contentedly curled up on a load of fresh, warm towels. He looks at me as if to say, "Hey...THANKS! Has this bed ALWAYS been here?"

You don't have to tell me that it's not a good idea to let your kitty hang out in your clothes dryer, not to mention the 'ick factor' of a cat lying on clean laundry. I tend to guard my dryer a little more closely now, closing it when I know I'm going to turn my back.

Well, these fingers need to stop typing and get back to the knitting and cleaning I really need to get done. Isn't real life fabulous?

*giggle*

"Umm...my grandma called and she wants her underwear back."

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:24:00 +0000

Someday, I plan to write a book about all the charming things my husband has said to me. What are the chances that Hallmark will snag some of them for their greeting cards?

That's pretty much what I thought.

We have been out of the loop, but for good reason. We spent a good part of last week at 'The Happiest Place on Earth!'

For those of you who live under a rock, I'm talking about Disneyland! It was sort of spur of the moment but it just seemed to work out so we went for it.

Once we got back home, we hit the ground running. Halloween was just a few days away and there were costumes to get ready and powdered donuts to buy. (Which, by the way, is a fairly sore subject for me. When I can actually find where I put my mind, I plan on giving the people at Hostess a piece of it for no longer supplying my local stores with the boxes of large powdered donuts. Do they have any idea how much that has complicated my life??? Do they? DO THEY???)

Okay, back to what I was rambling about. Once again, my train of thought has derailed somewhere just oustside of making sense.

Sooo...yesterday was to be my day to finally regain some control of the grocery shopping, laundry, meal planning, and blogging. However, a migraine headache had other plans for me. This one was worse than the ones I've had lately, so I tried to call in sick. NO. SUCH. LUCK. My bosses would not have it. (Yes, I don't have a job that proves itself with a paycheck, but I have three or four 'bosses' that dictate where I'll be and what I'll be doing in a day.) There was a 3YO who WON'T STOP TALKING, a 6YO with a ton of homework and THE ATTENTION SPAN OF A GNAT, and knitting group to get to. Okay, so the knitting group was mostly for me, but I had to find some joy in my day for myself, right? Besides, 3YO and 6YO were excited to go and knit. They have both learned to knit hats on a loom and were super excited to sit at a table with and 'knit' with the grownups!

Now, what is it about a migraine headache that makes my family SO OBNOXIOUS? Seriously! Is it just me? Just getting through the homework and getting out the door to get to the knitting group was so much more work than it needed to be. I blew my cool at one point, stooping down to my 3YO's eye level (Supernanny would be so proud!) and yelling, "PUT YOUR SHOES ON" with actual flames shooting out of my eyes.

Evidently, I need to blow my top more often, because that was the most peaceful car ride we've EVER HAD TOGETHER. I mean, WOW. Once they did get the courage to talk, they were super polite and got along beautifully. It's nice to see them get along and work together on their own, even if they are uniting as a team IN FEAR OF ME.

Getting down the driveway also presented its own set of challenges, as David had parked a trailer in the middle of the driveway and I had to pick it up and move it out of the way. I did learn that, even with the sheer exhaustion that a migraine headache can bring, the adrenaline rush from real anger and irritation can get you the super-human strength you need to pick up a trailer and drag it across the driveway.

So, there you have it. Now, I'm not trying to tell you that my kids are more annoying than normal kids....I just think that ANYONE is annoying if you get to know them well enough. Anyone who denies that is either LYING or HASN'T BEEN MARRIED OR HAD CHILDREN FOR MORE THAN A FEW DAYS. No one is immune...trust me on this one!

And that's OKAY.

My family is still annoying this morning, but I'm sure it's more the 'migraine hangover' that I feel. Once that subsides, I'm sure the people and things around me will become more pleasant. In the meantime, my family is just sort of staying out of my way.

And I'm liking it.

: )

Me and My 'Cowboy'

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:14:00 +0000

I certainly can't speak for everyone else's marriage, but I can see how this song can ring a bit true for so many of us.

There is so much to be said for dating, courtship, and being a newlywed. It's like a BIG DEAL. There's also a lot to be said for growing old with someone. That's like the ultimate for a lot of people. But, the journey to get there isn't always (Read: USUALLY or EVER) easy. But, for most people, the space between the beginning and the end is HUGE and not always the part we want to talk about.

While I can certainly identify with this song,I can't say it totally rings true for me. I can't say my husband is out 'having a beer' when he's not home with me. He's working. He's doing his job the best he can so that I can stay home with the kids. That was something that was important to both of us going into this whole 'arrangement.' Granted, if I had to go back to work tomorrow to make our lives better I totally would. I believe in doing what is best for one's self and their families when it comes to working outside the home. But even agreeing on that puts us in the place where our jobs are not 'equal' and never will be. They are both measured in completely different ways and it's so easy for each of us to feel as though we're getting the short end of the stick at one time or another. Plus, he's a man and I'm a woman. We are wired in completely different ways and to hold out hope that we'll ever completely understand one another is just setting ourselves up for disappointment.

Okay, back to my point. What I'm saying is that the big 'middle' section of a marriage isn't all that talked about. They don't usually tell you how easy it is to settle into a rut and how sucky things can get sometimes. And that's okay. I mean, it's not okay to want to stay that way forever, but it doesn't make your marriage BAD if you have your fair share of bad days as a couple.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong here, but I think it's actually okay to have days where your partner comes home and you're thinking, "OH. It's you. AGAIN." Perhaps the divorce rate is so much higher than it needs to be because people give up too easily. But, life happens and (often) so do kids and inlaws and jobs and money worries and the clock just keeps on ticking an you can feel like all you do is run and try and sometimes you really don't know if you're ever really getting anywhere at all.

But it will almost always get better...if you let it!

I am probably more guilty than many people of staying in my own 'corner' of the relationship, not willing to really give anything but angry if I think that he's not giving me anything either. If you ask my husband, he'd tell you that keeping to myself is what I'm probably best at. He knows to not try to play 'silent treatment' with me. I'll win. Partly because I do truly believe that, if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. Sadly, it can take so much longer than it should to say something nice if I don't put a little effort into it. The other part of my reasoning stems from my own stupid stubbornness. It's a wonder there is any brain in my head at all with how thick my skull can be!

But, more than anything, it helps to just trust myself. I did, after all, choose to marry this man. I wasn't held at gunpoint or anything like that. Neither was he. I was of sound mind and good judgement. And I need to trust that on the bad days. And it's okay to have bad days. I find it really helps to vent to a friend I can trust, then do something nice for him. Things seem to fall into place when you get the ball rolling in the right direction. At the end of the day, I married a good man who works hard for his family and really does love us. And we will, one day, be that old couple that sits on the front porch yelling at each other...not because we're angry, but because we can't hear as well anymore.

To be honest, things are really good with us right now. I am in no way venting. I was just playing an old cd in my car while driving alone today and just started to think about my 'single days.' There were some fun times, but everything I did back then was just to pass the time to get me where I am right now. I'm a lucky girl, even if I'm not ALWAYS willing to admit it!

Ultimately, I think we're responsible for our own happiness. I honestly think that the secret to happiness is to know and accept that we're not supposed to be happy every single moment of our lives. Besides, how boring would that be, huh? As much as I would love for David to be able to read between the lines (In other words, READ MY MIND) and grant me my every wish before I can even voice it, it's just not possible. And that's okay. Truth be told, I'd probably get bored with that too and take it for granted. And I'd still complain that he turns the television channel to something boring and falls asleep right away with the remote control tightly in his grip. Actually, I'll probably always complain about that. But, instead of just complaining, I learned to knit. Unless it's something I specifically want to watch, I've learned that I could care less about what's going on in the glowing box and find something better to do with my time. We're both happier that way.

Besides, I'd rather save the arguments for the more important things, like where he chooses to squeeze the toothpaste tube and how he doesn't change the toilet paper roll when he replaces it, but just sets the new roll on the counter. You know, the big stuff!

Sadistic Trainers, Long Tongues, and Apple Cider Vinegar

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:02:00 +0000

From my calculations, Aly's tongue seems to be about an inch and half too long!

I don't know what's come over me, but I've been sitting less and exercising more. Now, I'm not ready to give up my candy corn crack just yet...that would be CRAZY TALK...but I'm trying to eat a bit better and trying to exercise every day. So far, so good. Too bad it's only Day 3 and my track record for being consistent at anything sucks! The Sprint 8 program on my elliptical totally rocks though! And the Wii Active...that sadistic virtual trainer is trying to kill me! I started their little 30-Day Challenge thingy, so I wonder if I can stick to it. I was so sore today that it winced and moaned a little just to sit down and stand up. (Pitiful, I know!) I hopped on the elliptical and BAM...I felt BETTER! The soreness was almost gone after that, so much so that I decided to take on the sadistic virtual trainer after all, even though I had originally given myself the day off.

I've recently heard of some health benefits from apple cider vinegar. I'm curious as to what people know about it, so comments would be much appreciated. I figure it can't hurt to try, though there are a ton of things that it is said to be good for.

I think our new kitty has 'mommy issues.' He only wants to be held by me. ALL THE TIME. He's currently perched on my shoulder, shifting his position as necessary so I don't put him down. We were gone last weekend and my mom stopped by the house to check on the critters. She was amused by how 'needy' the cat is in always wanting to be carried and suggested that we make some sort of sling or infant-carrier like thing to put him in. I tell ya...holding that cat could easily be a full-time job! When I'm not holding him, he's watching me, just waiting for me to sit still for just a moment. If the kids try to take him elsewhere, he's like a little boomerang and just runs right back to me.

Since he was in the shelter for so long, I can only imagine what happened to him there. Or even before that. Was he taken from his own mother too soon? He's very needy for a cat that's a good seven months old!

Anyhow, I have to get dressed and ponder snipping the tip of my dog's tongue off. (I'm not gonna do it, but she walks around like this ALL DAY LONG now and it's fun to joke about.) Is an extra long tongue some sort of genetic thing, or do I just have the Gene Simmons of boxers?

Don't forget to check out my FREE PATTERN! I'm working on a smaller one right now made with worsted weight yarn and 16-inch size 7 Knit Picks circulars. It's the same exact pattern and turning out like a baby hat. YAY! I'll post pictures when it's done.

Have a great Thursday!

Ten Random Thoughts for Today

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:17:00 +0000

1. First ride on the BART. Grab a seat anywhere you can...this train waits for NO ONE.

2. 3YO was pretty excited about riding the BART, too. If I had taken the picture at a different angle, you'd see just about everyone there on their IPHONES! I think it might be an actual requirement to own a iPhone if you live in the Bay Area. I'm just sayin...

3. Despite what David originally thought, this was not a bounce house but a KITE. A kite that's bigger than a car!

4. See them fly? It was really cool. This was at the Berkeley Marina.

5. This is my friend Meri. Five months ago, Meri decided to train for a marathon. So she did. I guess you could probably call her 'Marathon Meri,' but I'll just stick to the name that I've decided to call her...which is 'CRAZY.' Seriously...26.2 miles. I won't even run down to the corner of my block right now without my inhaler and a ride back!

6. Meri is my hero...AND the craziest person I know! She's super pumped now and is already looking for another race to train for.

7. Now, where did I leave my candy corn?

8. I think that candy corn just might contain crack cocaine, because it's pretty much all I can think about these days! It's not the bad kind of crack or anything...just the kind you find in Girl Scout Cookies and Facebook Apps.

9. Speaking of which, I need to take care of my farm, park my cars and get a better Farkle score. Don't judge me.

10. Remember my pattern? The one I posted last week? Yeah, well...it was PUBLISHED on an actual pattern site! WOO HOO! I want to make more patterns for people of my easily distracted nature. Speaking of being easily distracted...I just found a workout on my elliptical that I can actually DO! I hadn't tried it because I was intimidated by the concept, but it's really cool! It's called 'Sprint 8' and has eight 30-second intervals of really intense stuff broken up by a minute and a half of sort of taking it easy. I can totally do that! Trying to keep a good pace for 30 minutes or more makes me want to bang my head against the wall! I feel like I'm being held captive in my own living room.

And on that note, I bid you farewell!

FREE PATTERN: Easy Ribbed Cable Hat

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:54:00 +0000

Easy Ribbed Cable Hat

Skills Needed:
Long-tail cast-on (CO)
Knit Stitch (K)
Purl Stitch (P)
Knitting in the Round on Circular Needles
Knit Two Together (K2TOG)
Purl Two Together (P2TOG)
Knitting Cables
Knitting in the Round on Double-Pointed Needles

Materials Needed:
1 skein of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chunky or any other bulky weight yarn
1 set of 16” circular needles in size 10 ½
1 set of 5 double-pointed needles in size 10 ½
Stitch Markers
Cable Needle
Yarn Needle

This hat is knitted in 3.5 stitches per inch guage and measures about 20.5 inches around to fit an average-sized woman, so adjust your measurements accordingly. Using your circular needles and a long-tail cast-on, CO 72 stitches and join to knit in the round.
*K1, P1 * Repeat to end of first round and PM.
Continue in K1, P1 ribbing until your piece measures four inches long.
Round 1: P2, K6 (for cable), P2, K2, P1, K2, P1, K2, PM
Repeat this pattern three more times, placing a second marker at the beginning of your second round, so you know where the next round begins.
Round 2: Same as Round 1.
Round 3: P2, SL 3 sts onto the cable needle and place it behind your work. K the next 3 sts, then K the 3 sts from the cable needle back onto your circular needle. P2, K2, P1, K2, P1, K2, SM. Repeat this pattern three more times to complete Round 3.
Repeat Round 1 for 5 rounds, repeating round 3 on the next round.
Continue this pattern until your hat measures 8”.
To begin decreasing, P2, K2, K2TOG, K2, P2, K2TOG, P1, K2TOG, P1, K2TOG, SM.
Continue the pattern 3 more times for the rest of this round.
Onto a DPN, P2, K5, P2, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1.
Continue in the pattern to the end of round so you have 14 sts each on 4 DPNs.
Next Round: P2TOG, K2TOG, K1, K2TOG, P2TOG, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1. Repeat this pattern 3 more times until you have 10 sts on each needle.
P1, K3, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, repeating this pattern for the rest of the round.
K2TOG for the entire round, leaving a total of 5 sts on each of the 4 DPNs.
K2TOG for another round, slipping the last st on Needles 1 and 3 to the next needle and leaving a total of ten stitches. Cut the yarn, leaving 6-8 inches of yarn and thread it through a yarn needle. Slip the sts off the DPNs and onto the yarn needle, running the yarn needle through the last ten sts and pulling it tight. Weave in all the ends and fold up the brim.

Now, wasn’t that easy?

Now Available in HDTV

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:25:00 +0000

Awhile back, we acquired an HDTV. It’s a few years old, but much newer than the one we'd had before. Since my husband was designed with that 'Y chromosome,' he was sort of excited about the HD part of it. The picture itself was a huge improvement, so we were not in a hurry to actually switch our cable service to the HD package. That is, until yesterday.

We swapped our box out for an HD box. And David is in love.

I guess it’s a better picture, but how much better can you get? Honestly, I didn’t really have a problem with the picture before HD. David spent several minutes switching the television back and forth from the regular picture to the HD one, trying to show me how much better the picture really was on Phinneas and Ferb in HD. I just didn’t see a big difference. Then again, how do you make animation more clear? It’s not as if the picture is going to get so much better that you’ll be able to see their mother’s laugh lines or their dad’s acne scars. It’s a freaking cartoon!

This brings up another point: How much more do we really want to see? I don’t know about you, but I sort of prefer the fantasy aspect of television. I don’t want to see Kelly Ripa’s smile lines or the acne outbreaks of Cameron Diaz. I’m pretty sure they don’t appreciate it either, for that matter.

It seems odd to me that special effects can come so far only to be canceled out by the technology that allows you to see right through them. I miss the fantasy of it all. Now, I’m not saying I want to go back to the truly lame days of the original ‘Land of the Lost’ or anything like that. Now, that was just sad. But I really do long for the fantasy, you know? I’m afraid we could lose the airbrushed, dreamy glow of the old picture. Now, I don’t know about you, but I watch television to be entertained. If I want something real, I turn it off and look around.

What do you think of how far technology has come? Think it will go too far? Think it already has?

I have an assignment for you...

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:00:00 +0000

There is no way on earth I have time to sit down and compose an actual, thought-provoking, laugh-at-me-while-I-cry-inside kind of blog today. Seriously, I really wish I could. But, I DO feel I need to pop on here really quickly and plug something.

So, we interrupt your regularly scheduled programming...

My most favoritest slow cooker guru has a book coming out. Like, TOMORROW. She is the awesomest (yes...that is a word to me!) and she's going to be on Good Morning America to talk about it. She has literally saved dinner in my house, as well as the houses of so many others I'm sure! She also has a terrific blog on organization that is not only helpful but reasonable. Easy little things to get one's house in order.

Anyhow, you should really set your DVR to record Stephanie's appearance on GMA. Then, go buy her book. Seriously. I plan on buying it ASAP. Or, go and leave comments on her Slow Cooker Blog or her Totally Together Blog. This is life-changing stuff here and I would hate for you to be left out!

Have a great Monday!

Greetings ffrom NOWHERE!

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:42:00 +0000

She's pretty, even with her occasional glimpses of intelligence.

I'm so not sure where the time has gone. The treadmill of life keeps me plugging along without really going anywhere, yet afraid to blink! These days, 13YO has way more of a social life than I do. I'm in a knitting group now and I love it! It's at our local library and I take the girls with me. While I already feel overscheduled most days, the rest of the week seems easier when I know I have some time carved out for me. (Next thing you know, I figure out that exercise actually gives you more energy..NAH! I wouldn't go that far just yet!)

I knitted my first cabled hat. However, I grabbed a pattern that was meant to be knitted flat instead of in the round and had to do some tweaking. That's what I get for starting something without reading it first! Once I've weaved in the ends and closed the top and all that, I'll post some pictures. I really like it and want one in every color now, though I'll probably put a few more cables in it than this one. Two just doesn't seem like enough for a whole hat.

We had a flu scare the other day with 13YO, but no other symptoms developed and she went right back to school the next day. She was just nauseous. We're awaiting the results of David's bloodwork to see his cholesterol levels and such.

See how exciting my life has become? I'm talking about health stuff...and it's not even real stuff now!

I'd better sign off before I start talking about the weather and the price of gas! Going to try to get one of those 'life thingys' everyone keeps talking about so I have some good blog fodder.

Right after I make my menu plan for next week and go grocery shopping.

AAAAACCCCKKK!!!!!

This one goes out to the one who loves...

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 04:58:00 +0000

...well, you know who you are!

...and the growups say, "NO! DON'T WANNA!"

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:11:00 +0000

I need to learn how to cook.

Okay, not really. I mean, I know how to cook. I guess I just need to re-learn how to cook. Actually, I just need to put less fat, more fiber, and fewer carbs into the rotation. Shouldn't be too hard right?

SO WRONG!

I mean, on paper it doesn't seem all that hard. But I have to take into account how PICKY certain members of this family can be. (And I'm mostly not talking about the kids here!) While David is the one with the high cholesterol, high triglycerides and aversion to broccoli, he and I both could stand to drop some poundage. Our girls, on the other hand, are all on the thin side. With genetics on their side, they most likely won't have to worry about weight until they've had a few kids. Then again, if we can instill healthier habits now, there's a chance they may never have the struggles that so many of us have. I was the smallest, thinnest girl with the flattest chest through pretty much all of junior high and high school. (At least, that's how it seemed in my insecure, pubescent mind...) I was jealous of the girls with a little more meat on them. They had hips and boobs and the boys noticed them more. The heavier girls may have had the own crosses to bear, but they got boobs first, by golly! Boobs are so important to a young girl. They mean something. They are what separates the girls from the boys, in addition to the tragically blue mascara and earlier understanding of basic hygiene.

This just goes to show you that the grass is always greener in your neighbor's yard!

David has had cholesterol and triglyceride issues for a few years now and you can only medications for those sort of things for so long before your liver starts to complain. His liver is just starting to complain a bit.

I do find it very amusing that David's doctor recommended that he quit drinking. David doesn't drink. I can count on both hands the number of alcoholic drinks that he has had in his entire life! As a matter of fact, I think I had more to drink at one wedding in particular than he has ever had. And that was a few lifetimes ago!

Aaaaahhh, the memories!

As difficult as it seems to instill healthier eating habits into our lifestyle, I know the whole 'exercise thing' will be even tougher. David works a very physical job. He is running and walking and stopping all day long. He comes home dead tired. Now, I know that exercise gives you more energy over time and yadayadayada...but good luck convincing David of that at this point in his life! He leaves the house at 7:45 in the morning and gets home anywhere between 8 and 9:30 at night. He then eats a big dinner and passes out in front of the television. As much as I know that's not the best thing to do, telling him so just makes me more the 'nagging wife' and him less cooperative. (I can't really blame him, since I react the same way when the roles are reversed!)

It's even more terrible that this is happening right now, when October is a week or so away and it's still so flippin' hot here.

Is it wrong that I want to cold-cock the weatherman when he uses the term 'century mark' to describe the high temperatures for the day? Not only is that just ridiculous at this point, but the whole idea of the word 'century' sounds like forver! 'Forever' is not the ideal message to come across when we are ready for summer to be OVER. Basically, the kids are wearing out/outgrowing their summer clothes that are appropriate for school and my capri pants could us a break! Bring on the sweaters! Bring on the jeans!

The hot weather just makes him more tired and cranky, as it does so many others.

To top it all off, I'm probably the laziest person I know! I don't really care for exercise and have no real stamina. My limbs are not very cooperative so anything that requires them to actually move is, franky, just asking too much. The day goes by much more smoothly if I can just spend most of it sitting on my tuckus.

So, there you have it. I guess you could say that I'm searching for that magic wand to wave around and either make us LIKE healthy food and exercise or make us not need them. The kids, well they're just along for the ride and stand to benefit a bunch from this in the long run anyway.

Shouldn't that be reason enough?

3YO vs. Sleeping, Boxer vs. Humidifier, and WHY GOD MADE COFFEE

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:51:00 +0000

Oh, ray of sunshine...you are sorely misplaced this morning!

Sleeping like a baby, or an angel, or like the horrible little person who kept me up last night? 3YO has a cold. Well, her version of a cold is to get a horrible cough and have it linger for a month or so. So, there we are. Of course the cough gets worse at night. Of course we're always on the lookout for the pesky recurrent croup that she seems to get with every little sniffle. And of course that means that we bring out this little guy:

Since we got Aly in the spring, she'd never actually seen the humidifier in action. It was bad enough that I was lying in 3YO's bed to help her get to sleep. Aly really isn't okay with me lying in my own bed during the day or even lying anywhere else in the house besides my bed. She gets really nervous and paces and barks. So, I was just about asleep in 3YO's bed when Aly barked to let me know that I shouldn't be there. Apparently, she takes her job pretty seriously when it comes to patrolling the perimeters at night and nothing gets past her. Just as I was attempting to hush her and let her know that it was okay, she noticed the humidifier. OH BOY! HERE WE GO! She got that instantly confused but trying really hard to understand what she's looking at so you can't decide if she looks smart or dumb boxer head tilt thing going on. If you've ever met a boxer, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Cutest thing ever. (Even at 1:00 a.m. apparently!) She stalked the humidifier for awhile, creeping up ever-so-slowly until it would quietly bubble. That would send her back several feet. Then, she would proceed to look at me as if she's protecting us from some evil force. Each time she got a bit closer to us. Once she finally got close enough, she stuck her head directly over the frog humidifier and inhaled the mist as if it were some kind of drug. Then, she crawled under the bed and peered out from underneath the comforter to spy on it for awhile. She had to make sure it didn't try anything funny!

I really wish I'd had my camera on me, but it was after one in the morning and I wasn't about to move any more than absolutely necessary.

3YO seems to be doing fine this morning. Well, except for all the hacking! It doesn't seem to bother her when it't not keeping her from sleeping. I see a lot of television in our future...

And...as for me? Nothing ten hours of sleep, half a pot of coffee, some mascara and about 3 1/2 pounds of concealer coudn't fix!

YEAH! Like YOU'D look any better after a night like that! I'm sure the DMV would be more than happy to make this my next driver's license photo. They're nice like that!

Some days definitely seem longer than others, don't they?

New Camera and My Inner Brat

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:06:00 +0000

With this much loose skin around her face, Aly seems to never make the same expression twice!

Whew! When it rains, it pours! Speaking of rain, we got some yesterday. It was cold and breezy and WONDERFUL. Of course, come this weekend the temps will be nearing 100 again, but it was good while it lasted!

I just had a birthday. Since my camera stopped working properly, I did my research and found just the camera that I wanted to replace it with. First, I did my part to conserve and called our local camera repair place to see what it would cost to fix. The only thing wrong with it is that it no longer acknowledges the flash. When your flash doesn't flash, you end up only being able to take pictures of people facing the sun like they did when my mom was a kid. All of her childhood pictures have her squinting. The guy at the camera repair place laughed at me. It was too old, cheap, whatever to fix. Not worth my money or their time, from what they tell me.

Once again, it's a disposable world we live in.

Anyhow, my new camera is a Canon Powershot SX20 IS. She's PURDY! I couldn't really justify anything more than this because I'm pretty much using it to take pictures of kids and dogs. (See above picture...and I already have like a hundred of that particular pose!) I'm still learning how to use the camera and, so far, the most frustrating part is that it only comes with a tiny little manual to get started and the real user's manual is on a cd-rom. You have to download and print it yourself, if you want to keep it on hand! That part is a little annoying, but the camera itself doesn't seem to need that much explanation. There are a few things I definitely need to read up on, like how I changed the color of the whole eveing sky to orange when it really wasn't. I'll figure it out....eventually!

In the meantime, folks around here will probably be suffering from their share of 'flash blindess!' We seem to be back in the full swing of school. We have even added church on Sunday, knitting group on Monday, and gymnastics on Wednesday into the mix. So far, things seem to be falling into place quite nicely.

Great...I bet I just jinxed myself now!

I'm starting to try to get back into good habits when it comes to keeping the house running smoothly. That being said, my worst enemy on this frontier is my inner brat. I do better when I don't feel like I MUST do something. Then it makes me want to. Even when I don't have to do the things I do, doing too many of them puts me in a bad mood. It's the strangest thing, but being especially productive really messes with my head. For example, I had quite the productive day yesterday. Really, I did. I did like five loads and laundry and got it all put away. I made three beds. I cleaned the bathrooms and got the kitchen the cleanest it's been in long time now. It wasn't hard, even 3YO was good about not making messes while I was cleaning up the other messes. (Usually, that puts me in a TERRIBLE MOOD!) When I was done with all of that, I knew I could relax and feel accomplished. I knew I was going to get to knit with a local group that evening and was really looking forward to it. But, my problem was that I just started to settle down and relax a bit when the two older ones were getting home from school. That meant I had to start arguing with 6YO about her homework and sight words and that I had to hear about every teensy-tiny little detail about 13YO's day. I was trying to get something done (but not for fun!) on the computer and it was taking forever. By the time it was done, we had to rush out the door for my knitting group and we were late as it was. I was cranky. I never had any 'down time' and my brain was overstimulated. Getting a lot done puts me in a bad mood.

My inner brat is winning today because I'm doing as little as possible and my mood is outstanding. I really need to do something about my thought process, don't I? I can almost picture myself with a spotless house and standing at the door screaming at my family as they come in the door. They like me better when my house is a little messy. HECK, I like me better too!

Maybe there's a pill I can take for this sort of thing. In the meantime, I'll have my good days and my bad days. Today, my goals are to maintain the high score on a solitaire game on Facebook and learn a little more about my camera.

Poor 3YO and the dogs will probably be seeing spots for the rest of the day....

Flashbacks and Gag Reflexes

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 21:52:00 +0000

Was this a part of your childhood? Do you remember it?

Somehow, David and I were talking about this show today. Does it ring a bell for anyone? While I remember the show fondly, I think I really only actually watched a few episodes. A friend of mine had to make sure she was home on Thursdays by 4:30 (or whenever it was actually on!) so she could watch it. I liked it too...I guess I just wasn't that devoted of a fan.

That or it was apparent at an early age that I would be a flaky and inconsistent growup!

Thanks to the marvelous creation that is YouTube, it took only seconds to find this clip and dozens of others. You know that little blonde girl? That's Fergie! WOW...I so wanted to be her when I was a kid. Her hair was really blonde and fluffy (while mine was blonde and stringy) and she could do all those handspring-type things. Who wouldn't want to be cool like that, right?

When I was older, long after I'd seen any episodes of Kids Incorporated, I thought Marta was awesome. But, that's only because she then became Martika and did that song 'Toy Soldiers.' Hey...when you're a fourteen-year-old girl in the late 80's, that song is DEEP.

Shutup. I'm sure you were as lame as I was!

Other names like Mario Lopez and Jennifer Love Hewitt came out of that show as well. Who knew? David and I giggled as we watched some of the videos and reminisced. Then, it was time to get back to real life, like mowing the lawn and arguing about the holes that the dogs have dug in the backyard. Life goes on.

Hey...that was another great show!

I other news, I discovered a movie that triggers my gag reflex like no other. Let me start by explaining my tolerate/hate relationship with chewing gum. I chewed gum as a kid. On rare occasions, you might even see me chewing it now. But, I have a mild form of TMJ. It's not too serious and I usually find I can avoid pretty much any suffering by not chewing gum. I can even chew a bit of gum, but I have to remember to dispose of it the minute it no longer has flavor. If I chew it too long, the jaw gets tired and the headache starts coming on. I also need to avoid going to bed really stressed, because I clench my jaw when I'm sleeping and wake up with one of those awful headaches then too. I have a bite guard, but haven't worn it in years because I've found other things that work....for now.

Wow...I just went a bit off-track there, didn't I? Welcome to another episode about the derailed trains of thought in my head. Confused yet? I am.

Anyhow, I'm not really used to having gum around regularly. And, I have this thing where whenver the gum leaves my mouth, it cannot go back. BLEH! Seriously, it's just gross to me. So, sticking a piece of gum behind your ear (do people even still do that? ) or sticking it to your plate while you eat a meal is BEYOND DISGUSTING to me. Chewing ABC gum (Already Been Chewed, by someone else) is even more disgusting. I guess you could say that I'm not a big fan of saliva-related things in general. (We're not talking about babies though. Baby drool is completely non-toxic, as opposed to the stuff in the mouths of the gum-chewing generation. Those people need to keep their saliva in their mouth!)

So, you can probably imagine how much my stomach turned when I watched Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. On the whole, I liked the movie. Really, I did. It was entertaining, even made me laugh. I can pretty much watch any movie, so long as I can begin to care about the characters. And I liked them, for the most part. The thing I had the problem with was the scene (for those of you who have seen it) where Norah's friend throws up in the bus station bathroom. Then, her phone rings and she accidently drops in the in toilet...before she flushes! Then, she manages to drop her gum in there too. She really needs to talk to her friend, so she fishes her phone out. (I had to look away!) She also reeeeeeally thought she needed that gum. And, even typing it is starting to make me dry-heave, so I'll leave the rest to your imagination. Needless to say, I wasn't enjoying the rest of the movie so much as I was keeping track of where the gum was. The gum got around....

Yup, now I just threw up in my mouth a little!

So, as much as saliva and gum gross me out, saliva and gum combined with vomit in public toilets really pushes me over the top. Imagine that!

And that, my friends, is pretty much what was left in my head today. Now that I have it out, there seems to be a clean slate now. Hmm...what to fill it with next...

Say 'CHEESE'....or 'JISHI!'

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:13:00 +0000

Well, thanks to the whole cable On Demand thing, I'm proud to report that 3YO is working on learning her Mandarin Chinese. Those who have kids know I'm talking about Ni Hao, Kai-Lan. It's a nice refreshing change from Dora the Explorer. The really amusing part of it all is the fact that my child could be voted 'Most Resistant to Change' and most of the episodes seem to be based on trying new things and basic problem-solving skills.

If nothing else, at least I'll be able to appreciate the irony of it all.

Earlier this week, we were able to enjoy the drama that is picture day. OY! Picture day...UGH! What a horrible invention! I mean, I always buy the pictures and I will keep them forever. Those are memories, dangit! Even the ones where their hair sticks out funny or their smile is crooked or nonexistent...that is who they were at that particular moment and that's how I should remember them. (That's the same reason I always buy the 'Santa pictures' where they're crying or refuse to smile! Those are some of my favorites anyway!) But picture day can be especially traumatic when you have girls. Fortunately for me, I only had one of my girls having her picture taken this week. But the one to be photographed...she is, perhaps, the moodiest of them all! I'll spare you the ugly details and just tell you that she left the house in tears that day. Yes, tears. And there was no yelling at my end, but changing your mind on your outfit when it's time to walk out the door...well, it just doesn't matter because it's TIME TO WALK OUT THE DOOR.

Interestingly enough, this is the same child who won a little award at school for being such a good student. At school, she is a completely different child. She takes pride in following the rules, listening to the teacher and waiting her turn. She's almost like a little robot at school, so much so that I've had parents doubt my stories about an argument I might have had with her that morning AND THEY WEREN'T EVEN BEING SARCASTIC. Seriously. I KNOW!

I often tell her that I'm so proud of her for being such a good listener at school. I never want that to change. HOWEVER, that being said, I do wish she's listen a little better at home. I guess that's how it's supposed to be. I'd rather have her listen to her teachers more than me. I guess I'm just being selfish and wishing that something as simple as picking out socks wouldn't need to entail so much drama. Silly me, I know!

I guess it's what I have coming. Apparently, I was quite the little pain in the arse when I was a kid. Trust me, my mom points it out every chance she gets! I wasn't really one to get into trouble at school, but I sure gave my mom a healthy dose of H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS when I was at home.

I know. ME??? NOOOOOO!!!!

Yes. I still have that pain in the arse inside of me somewhere. Now, she only usually comes out for my husband. (Lucky guy, I know!) I do keep her within reach when dealing with my kids, too. To them, I invented the whining and arguments that they try on me on a regular basis. I've done my share of torturing my own parents, and picture day was no exception. We have the funny school pictures to prove it.

The fact is that I'm raising three completely different people and every single milestone can be a whole new experience for me. I had to give birth to my third to know that the only thing I really know is that I don't know anything. After lowering the bar a substantial amount, this job doesn't seem so hard after all...except on maybe picture day!

'We'll see' means 'NO'

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:45:00 +0000

Sometimes I think we don't give kids enough credit.

We were having lunch out today. We didn't have a lot of time since 6YO would be getting out of school soon. We had to finish eating and run one more errand before we headed to the school. From the window of the restaurant, 3YO could see some of those rides that you put a quarter (or two) in. She wanted to ride one so badly.

She asked me repeatedly and I finally said that we had a lot of things to do and were running out of time, but 'we'll see.' She turned to my mom, who was sitting next to her, and said, "We'll see' means 'NO."

She was right. I think we use that term so easily because, if circumstances are ideal, we'll be able to given into something. Being a parent and having been around a few years, we pretty much know that the odds of any given situation being 'ideal' are usually slim-to-none.

But we didn't say 'NO,' right?

*giggle*

I think I've stumbled upon something worthwhile. Since I have three kids and getting them to practices and birthday parties and dentist appointments and basically keeping them alive is pretty much my job, I am in a constant search for the PERFECT CALENDAR. Who isn't, right? Well, I happened to hear someone on televsion talking about being organized. Yes, I was paying attention at that point because I'm the least organized person I know. The lady in the glowing box said something about an online calendar. There are a bazillion online calendars out there, this I know. I logged onto the site she mentioned and waited for the catch.

So far, there isn't one. If you want to try it out yourself, go to HERE and sign up. It seems easy enough to navigate and even sends messages, calendars and lists that you select to your cell phone in the form of a text message. You can set it up pretty much however you want and only you can see it...for now. I guess they're working on making networks of people that can view each other's calendar, if that's what you're going for. For this family, we just need a better way of keeping our crap straight.

I'm sure no one else has this problem, right?

Anyhow, give Cozi.com a try and let me know what you think! I've really taken a liking to their 'Live Simply' section. I'm sure there's something there for everyone. Yesterday, I had the site send a text message to 13YO for a list of things to do when she got home...while she was on the bus coming home from school! Now, she has the whole list on her phone, which is really good because if I lose one more scrap of paper with an important list on it....

Morning People vs. People Who Aren't

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:41:00 +0000

6YO took this picture of herself. I just found it. I never know WHAT I'm going to find on my camera when I go to use it!

As happy and sweet as this child might look in this picture, she is NOT A MORNING PERSON. In fact, some mornings her head spins and everything! I've walked into her room to wake her up in the morning and heard this demonic, gravelly voice booming, "GO AWAY!" Seriously. And it doesn't matter if she gets to bed early enough or any of that. What matters most is that she has something look forward to in the short term. As in, something she really wants THAT MORNING. For instance, the first morning she was going to be able to ride the bus (beause we do, in fact, have a new bus driver. YIPEE!!!) she popped up on her own at 6:30 and had herself dressed and ready to go in a matter of minutes. As a matter of fact, she even asked if she could make her own lunch that day! She did a pretty good job, too. I guess she's hired!

It's really hard tough to come up with something every single day that will quiet the demonic voice inside of this otherwise sweet kid. She shouldn't need something to look forward to (Okay...BRIBERY!) just to be nice to people. She should just learn to be nice on her own. Because she should.

Then, there's 13YO. She IS a morning person. She has bounced out of bed happily almost every morning for years. (Yes, the rest of us don't always like her!) She is perky and happy and bright and...she can push every single one of her 6YO sister's buttons without even trying. Needless to say, the conversations around the breakfast table can often be hateful but are almost always entertaining.

**********

"STOP LOOKING AT ME!"

(That's one of my personal favorites!)

***********

13YO-"Are you excited to go to school today?" (She knows her sister is not a morning person and she still insists on asking her this question almost every morning.)

The response from 6YO is always the same: "NO! STOP TALKING TO ME!!!"
**********

I know that 6YO should be nicer to us, but I also know her usual response to things. So does 13YO, so I can't help but be irritated by her most of the time when she insists on asking the same questions KNOWING what the response will be.

Then again, what are siblings if they aren't someone to fight with?

I don't necessarily like mornings either. In fact, most mornings every cell of my being is telling me NOT to get out of bed. But, I have grumpy children to wake, cereal to pour and lunches to make. And it's much easier to get through all of that when given enough time.

It's gonna be a looooong school year, isn't it?

School Days and Budding Photographers

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:32:00 +0000

3YO is enjoying having time at home without her sisters and loves to play with my camera. I find some of the funniest things whenever I upload the pictures from my memory card!

On the first day of school, David took the girls outside to get pictures of them while I finished getting myself dressed. He chose a great spot to take the pictures. Unfortunately, the bees like that spot too!

13YO finally loosened up to smile. I think he must have told her that she's have to stand there until he got a picture of her smiling.

6YO jumped right into the smiles...no threats needed. That's not typical for her...she's our moody one...but we'll take it when we can get it!

3YO cannot be left out of the festivities...but doesn't her mother own an iron? (I do...I just don't like to use it! If I can't toss it in the dryer with a damp towel to make it less wrinkly...we just don't wear it!)

So far, 6YO and 13YO are loving school! 6YO has the same first grade teacher that 13YO had, so we already knew what a great teacher she is. 13YO is a big, bad 8th grader now. (Though, she's still smaller than most of the 7th graders!) She's excited to be able to call them 'Sevvie's' though...which is what the 8th graders called her last year!

So, now that 13YO and 6YO are back in school, 3YO and I have the days to ourselves. It doesn't take long for her to stop missing her sisters and get used to being an 'only child' again. She really is so easy-going when she gets her one-on-one time with us. She doesn't have anyone to compete with for attention and she really gets to shine. She goes from being a demanding, combustible preschooler to being a fun little compainion to have around. Since she was born, she's pretty much always had to share attention with SOMEBODY. I think all kids need an opportunity like this at some point.

Well, I need to hop in the shower and pick 6YO up from school soon. To my knowledge, we still have that bad bus driver on our route, so David and I will be dropping her off and picking her up from school. You can read about how our relationship with the bus driver started HERE and then about the straw that broke the camel's back HERE. If it's the same bad driver (and that is totally a matter of fact, not opinion...most people can actually park where they mean to, right?) then we will just keep her off the bus all year. It's a shame, too. 6YO loves the bus and it would make things so convenient! But, I think children should be a bit older before they should be subjected to that much whiplash! It's sad...13YO rode the bus almost every single day from the time she was in first grade and we never had a problem like this. Ever.

I think we'll be taking Aly to the school with us to pick 6YO up. She tries to be dominant most of the time, but becomes totally submissive when she's on her leash. Plus, it will be a good way to keep her socialized.

Being mauled by a bunch of children builds character, right?

Hmmm...maybe we should have named her 'Winona'

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 23:44:00 +0000

...and yes, that's a 'klepto joke' for ya! Aly has some new horrible, yet entertaining habits as of lately.

Aly is a klepto. It started out with a couple of Barbie dolls ending up in the backyard. Then one day, one of the running shoes I had kicked off next to my desk at night was gone the next morning. It was in the backyard.

Yes, shoes and toys seem like obvious temptations to a boxer puppy. Who hasn't been tempted to chew off a Barbie foot and then drag her to your secret playground, known as the backyard? I know I have. But how on earth does one explain her fascination with fruit? We have a table in the living room where we keep a fruit bowl. Sometimes, the larger bags of apples and bananas don't immediately get taken out of the bags on the table and put into the bowl. Since poor Aly currently has more leg length than she does brainpower, she can easily reach things on the table yet cannot easily be reasoned with. Yes, this is an 'awkward phase' indeed. I had seen her trying to get something off the table. I didn't see what she was after, but though I'd chased her away before she could nab it.

I guess I was wrong. While I didn't notice it right away, the next morning I found an entire bunch of bananas lying just outside of her dog door. They had bite marks in them and they were pretty bruised up...and they were bananas for crying out loud! If that had been a table where we kept lunch meat or cheese or something, I would have been worried. But fruit???

I think there's something wrong with my dog.

Just after the 'banana incident,' I saw her grab an entire 5 lb bag of Granny Smith apples and high tail it out the dog door. I was able to save those apples, but she must have done it another time too, as she now has a stash of apples hidden outside somewhere. Once or twice a day, she brings an apple in from the backyard and eats it in my living room floor.

Is it safe to say that perhaps my house has gone to the dogs?

This list of things she's taken gets longer every single day. She used to let herself into the girls' room and grab a toy as if it was her own personal toy box. Those ended up in the living room and she really only chews up the hands and feet of the Barbie dolls. So, we would usually just groan about the extra clutter and send it back to their room. Now, those things end up in the backyard. Our sprinklers go on at 10:00 at night and I can't tell you how many things have had a 'shower' in the past week or two. And, while it certainly makes ME feel better to chase her down with flames shooting out of my eyes, it doesn't seem to really matter to her. She appears to have no short term memory whatsoever and is really in a whole new state of mind from one minute to the next. Or, maybe she's just that stubborn.

The thing that seems to work the best is when we put her on a leash and just make her sit next to us, whereever we are. We call it her 'time out' and it's the only thing that seems to calm her down. It doesn't necessarily seem to sink in as to WHY she's in a time out, but at least she stops whatever obnoxious thing she's doing at the time. David told me today that getting Aly was a heck of a way of making him appreciate our other dog, Lily. As amusing as that seems, Aly was actually HIS IDEA. HAHAHA! I'm not taking the credit for this one!

She's only six months old, so I guess it stands to reason that we have another 10 or 12 years to deal with this phase. I hear that boxers never really grow up.

I really hope I heard that wrong.

Just think of all the BRAS that could dry on this thing!

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:02:00 +0000

In an effort to live another few years or so, David and I finally broke down and bought an elliptical machine. Isn't she purdy?

Seriously, David talked to someone who has already had open heart surgery, still has a lot of problems, and basically describes himself as living on borrowed time. That scared the crap out of David. He is much more motivated by fear than I am. The first time his triglycerides were over 400, he followed every doctor's order to the letter....at first. (His triglycerides aren't supposed to be over 150, so 429 sort of made him like a walking time bomb!)

I've had a few minor issues with cholesterol, but nothing to write hom to mom about. I take fish oil and try to avoid trans fats and junk like that. If only bacon didn't taste even better when it's DEEP FRIED! I am a very sedentary person by nature, though. I really need to get in some sort of shape...besides ROUND! Now that my asthma seems to be under control and the sinus infection from hell is finally gone, I feel it's time to jump back on that horse and try to get in shape.

The guy at the shop where we bought this thing had a really interesting theory: "I don't care about dying, I just don't want to be fat!" Alrighty then.

We got our elliptical on Saturday. Since then, I've been on it for at least 30 minutes every single day. My heart rate would be crazy-high at first, but has already somewhat adjusted to the new demands I'm putting on it. This elliptical has one of those chest straps that wirelessly monitors your heart rate the entire time. SO COOL!

I always start strong when it comes to a new healthy habit or routine. It's the long-term stuff that I have trouble with. I'm hoping I can make this a regular part of my day, even though I feel the need to fight any form of routine and most of the 'have to's' so many days.

I'm my own worst enemy, I'm afriad.

For now, I will always try to squeeze in 30 minutes a day. I've spent more time than that trying to get my Farm Town farm to load up on Facebook! (Don't judge me.) I do seem to have more energy and I'm sweating like a...I don't know what I'm sweating like. I manage to stay still enough most days so that I never have to know about the whole 'sweating thing.' Seriously, I'm as lazy as they come, I'm afraid!

Well, the longer I type, the longer it will take for me to get ready to conquer that elliptical. And my day goes so much more smoothly once that's behind me.

Soon enough, I'm sure this thing will be tucked into a corner with laundry hanging off it. Isn't that what home exercise equipment is ultimately for?

Due to the Current Economy-Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:29:00 +0000

I've had a few requests to share with you my recipe for homemade laundry soap. Well, it's not *technically* mine, I found it HERE, which was a link sent to me by a friend. I did read through all the comments, though, and take bits and pieces from some of them.

First of all, I used half a bar of Fels Naptha instead of regular soap. Actually, I used regular bar soap for my first two batches, then I decided to switch it up with the Fels Naptha. I like that the Fels Naptha grates more easily than regular bar soap. I actually turns into crumbs and makes it that much easier to dissolve in the simmering water.

After I follow the directions I got from THIS SITE, I switched it up a bit. Instead of leaving it in the bucket to set up for the 24 hours, I immediately funnel the freshly-mixed goo into three old Tide bottles that I never managed to dispose of.

Yeah, this is one of those rare moments when procrastination actually pays off. Not usually the case for me, but YAY ME!

The recipe makes a little more than three gallons of laundry soap. Since it's not the fancy schmancy concentrated stuff that you can find in the stores, it takes a whole cup for each load. Needless to say, it doesn't last nearly as long. But, for the couple of dollars it takes to make the stuff, it's totally worth it to me! Those bottles of Tide cost me almost twenty bucks each and I was still buying one almost once a month!

With this last batch, I even went a little above and beyond and added some essential oils to the batch. Just a little, but it makes it smell yummy.

I haven't actually bought laundry soap in about three months. Yes, I go through a little less than three gallons a month, but it only costs a couple of dollars and twenty minutes of my time to MAKE the three gallons. My clothes seem to be just as clean as they were with the Tide. I still have to pretreat with the usual stain fighters, but that's always going to be the case. I've found a few recipes for making my own stain fighters, but I haven't tried them out yet.

I have, however, also learned how to make my own fabric softener. I've played around with a couple of different recipes, but haven't found *the one* as of yet. I still use what I make, but I know it could be better.

So, stay tuned for more things that I've discovered along the way on my journey of being more efficient.

I might even make this a regular thing...

Compliments of the Satellite Installers, I think!

noreply@blogger.com (Leann I Am) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:44:00 +0000

I waited at a neighbor's house for someone to come and install their satellite stuff while they were at work. This dish was on the house to begin with.

Needless to say, a different company installed it this time. They took the old dish down, and it was left lying on the side of the house just like this. And I apologize for the quality of the picture, I took it on my cell phone.

HAHAHAHAHA!!!

As far as satellite service goes, I don't really have a preference. I have cable.