tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64415436894226381792010-03-10T16:53:37.202-05:00Laughing...and still going insaneDebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.comBlogger300125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-55751114530674451602010-03-10T07:57:00.006-05:002010-03-10T08:48:27.262-05:002010-03-10T08:48:27.262-05:00

A few years ago we loaded up our East Tennessee family and flew to California for a two week vacation. Our layover was in Chicago and we were there most of the two weeks. Not really, but it was one of those layovers that got longer and longer and even included the airline moving us from a gate at one end of the airport to one at the opposite end, which was more walking than I normally do in a

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-11832251105325164882010-03-08T07:56:00.010-05:002010-03-08T08:25:51.919-05:002010-03-08T08:25:51.919-05:00

I'm a bad housekeeper.Not like that. What I mean is that my house is a mess. Sometimes it is dirty and piled up for lack of time to clean. More times than not, it's that way because something better or more fun came along and I decided to do that instead of dust.It doesn't take much to distract me. Getting on the computer. Talking with a friend on the phone. Taking a nap. These are all

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com111tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-56290407978772087882010-03-05T07:00:00.002-05:002010-03-05T07:22:03.447-05:002010-03-05T07:22:03.447-05:00

We had longed for children for several years prior to being blessed with our twins. Then, whether out of true longing for more children or just from delirium from lack of sleep, we knew right away that our family wasn't complete and three years later, our middle son arrived. I still felt that "someone is missing" yearning and three years later, our youngest joined our family.I have had

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com101tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-57260056660394466492010-03-03T07:00:00.001-05:002010-03-03T08:35:53.236-05:002010-03-03T08:35:53.236-05:00

It was snowing yesterday morning so I turned on the television to check the weather forecast. I really don't watch much television during the day. I've always thought it was hazardous. I barely get anything accomplished as it is and if I had that tube on, well, let's just say clean socks would become a luxury around here.The Today Show was on and there from my television came the theme song to

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com103tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-58263930483547581992010-03-01T08:56:00.006-05:002010-03-01T09:21:40.622-05:002010-03-01T09:21:40.622-05:00

I am a rule follower. You know that popular bumper sticker that says "Well-behaved women rarely make history"? Well, I am not destined to make history. I am destined to follow the rules.You want to see me sweat? Talk to me during a time when I think we are supposed to be quiet. That makes me more nervous than you can imagine. Apparently, quite a few people out there don't mind talking

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com108tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-90182045948556576462010-02-26T07:00:00.001-05:002010-02-26T10:04:58.304-05:002010-02-26T10:04:58.304-05:00

A school board in Rhode Island took the unusual position this week of deciding to fire all 74 teachers and 19 staff members at Central Falls High School. The school board superintendent said the move was necessary since the school was underachieving and there was "callous disregard" on the part of the teacher's union.I don't live in Rhode Island so I can't speak directly to this case. Schools in

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com143tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-6936832072038112872010-02-24T10:45:00.002-05:002010-02-24T20:09:51.260-05:002010-02-24T20:09:51.260-05:00

Hello. I'm Debbie and I can't buy furniture.Why is that? Why is it that I can commit to having four kids yet the very idea of buying a new sofa will send me into a nervous sweat and heart palpitations? I mean, you can always unload an unwanted sofa on Craigslist and get a little of the money back. An unruly teen? Not so much.I've always been this way. When my husband and I were engaged, we

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com93tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-20965962453686413592010-02-22T07:40:00.001-05:002010-02-22T07:58:23.120-05:002010-02-22T07:58:23.120-05:00

You would think with the long list of bizarre behaviors and oddities that I already travel through life with, that I wouldn't have room to add another.Here again, you'd be wrong.It appears that I have become just the teensiest obsessive this winter about germs. Just a little bit. Never mind that my kids are comparing me to Monk (who was brilliant with the whole carrying around of wipes idea -

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com97tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-753621521940212382010-02-19T07:00:00.001-05:002010-02-19T07:00:01.938-05:002010-02-19T07:00:01.938-05:00

With the rumor going around that Howard Stern may become a judge on American Idol when Simon leaves, many parents were outraged.I'm confused. To me, nothing says "family television" quite like Howard Stern. Isn't he called "The Shock Jock"? I don't really understand why everyone wouldn't want to gather little Bobby and Susie in front of the TV to see, and more importantly, hear Howard Stern.

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com111tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-2631174749678943142010-02-17T07:00:00.002-05:002010-02-17T21:31:58.742-05:002010-02-17T21:31:58.742-05:00

Last night was our neighborhood monthly Bunco game during which I actually did well for a change and came home with $30. You will be relieved to know that I was not a gracious winner and might have fanned my winnings out on the table in front of me for a time prior to sticking them partially down the front of my shirt. It is a classy gathering.Several things strike me about these get togethers.

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com102tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-86317156969623050802010-02-15T09:54:00.007-05:002010-02-15T10:14:24.044-05:002010-02-15T10:14:24.044-05:00

A 15 year old girl in Britain had the flu in the fall of 2008. Since that time, she has developed Kleine-Levin Syndrome, or Sleeping Beauty Disease. It appears that the teen sleeps for up to 10 days at a time. Her parents wake her (to some degree) every 22 hours to feed her and take her to the restroom.My first thought - How does this differ from every other teenager in the world?My second

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com111tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-83417081991466777062010-02-12T07:00:00.002-05:002010-02-12T08:10:21.919-05:002010-02-12T08:10:21.919-05:00

When I was pregnant with my twins and had been on bed rest for 5 months, it didn't come as a surprise to me to hear the OB say he'd like to schedule a C-section. After 5 months of bed rest, I could barely brush my teeth. I knew I wouldn't be a rousing success at birthing two babies. So, I said schedule away.He scheduled the birth for February 13. When I was able to talk to my husband in the

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com96tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-65115409976948410342010-02-10T07:00:00.001-05:002010-02-17T08:27:27.662-05:002010-02-17T08:27:27.662-05:00

Yesterday I received a picture text from my college daughter and my husband received one from our college son.His was a very nice photo of the greenhouse on my son's college campus where he works. It was full of gorgeous flowers of every possible hue and was just a delight to see on a dark, cold, winter day.Mine was a photo of some lab rats in a biology lab.Now, here's the thing. Wouldn't you

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com95tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-52361754676696933352010-02-08T07:00:00.001-05:002010-02-17T08:28:07.502-05:002010-02-17T08:28:07.502-05:00

I'm a game player.No, not the emotional blackmail type of game player. Although I have been known to partake in that past time but I'm not proud of that.I'm a player of games. All games. Any games. Cards, board games, video games, games of chance, games of strategy. You name it and I'll play it.I can remember playing cards with my Dad when I was a very small child and my mother begging him

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com111tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-58424543562195376872010-02-05T07:00:00.003-05:002010-02-17T08:28:23.295-05:002010-02-17T08:28:23.295-05:00

I read Dear Abby. My husband does as well. Most days will find one of us asking the other, "Did you read Dear Abby yet?" and a discussion will launch on how we think she did. I still haven't bonded with the new Dear Abby. As my husband and I like to say, "She is not her mother".Anyway, our critical assessment of Dear Abby aside, recently she received a letter from a daughter who was worried

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-9629234738645281572010-02-03T07:00:00.002-05:002010-02-17T08:28:37.882-05:002010-02-17T08:28:37.882-05:00

I am a substitute teacher.Why? Well, I really wanted to try my hand at that self-flagellation thing with chains or leather and blood and pain and all. But, being a substitute seemed to be a way to achieve those same goals faster.And get paid less at the same time.Actually, at the risk of sounding like I need to be placed in a padded room for my own protection, I will admit to you all that I

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com127tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-35322508924772764732010-02-01T07:00:00.000-05:002010-02-01T07:00:08.703-05:002010-02-01T07:00:08.703-05:00

As I was reading blogs over the weekend, one popped up with a beautiful photo of pink roses. I smiled because pink roses are my favorites.I'm not a person who has a deep attachment to most inanimate objects. I enjoy the fact that I have nice soft sheets on my bed, comfortable furniture to lounge around in, and warm house shoes for my feet. That's about the limit to my attachment. I'm grateful

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com111tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-335091393151071062010-01-29T07:00:00.004-05:002010-02-17T08:28:57.298-05:002010-02-17T08:28:57.298-05:00

A British supermarket employee was arrested for licking frozen chicken packages before putting them back on a shelf. Apparently, this fun and frivolity was caught on a cell phone camera and then put on YouTube because, well, because why not?As is usually the case when I read bizarre news stories, I am taken back to a memory in my own life.I've told you all about my extreme distaste for most

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com123tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-55434189836207616682010-01-27T07:00:00.003-05:002010-02-17T08:29:10.903-05:002010-02-17T08:29:10.903-05:00

Last Friday, a woman attending a class at The Metropolitan Museum of Art fell into a large Pablo Picasso painting and ripped it.This is one of many reasons why no one in my family would be allowed to take an art class.We are not among the graceful people. Although I truly believe my husband is my soul mate, our offspring would have been better off in life if at least one of their parents had

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com115tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-30648995800024201012010-01-25T07:00:00.002-05:002010-02-17T08:29:23.088-05:002010-02-17T08:29:23.088-05:00

When I was a small child, we lived on some land that had our house at one end, my grandparents' house at the other end, and a small empty barn in between our homes. That barn was the epicenter of my young days.In east Tennessee, the soil isn't so much soil as it is pottery that just hasn't had a chance to fully fire yet. I'm talking red clay. Solid red clay. The floor of this barn was red

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com87tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-20252689071722617822010-01-22T08:00:00.005-05:002010-02-17T08:29:38.538-05:002010-02-17T08:29:38.538-05:00

Here is the photo being shown all over the world the past two days.Yes, that is none other than Nadya Suleman, she of octomom but actually 14-omom status. It appears our dear Nadya is claiming she lost 150 pounds since the birth of her litter, I mean eight children, a year ago. Here's a brief reminder of what she looked like at that time.

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com179tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-57438830082780888612010-01-20T07:00:00.001-05:002010-01-20T12:03:53.865-05:002010-01-20T12:03:53.865-05:00

What have the crazy folks been up to lately? Good question. Let's turn to the headlines and find out.In Easton, PA, it appears a man broke into a home, cut his hair, took a shower, fried up some chicken, and was noshing on the chicken in front of the TV when the homeowner came in. I don't know. If the chicken was good and he made plenty, I might be inclined to look the other way. If, and

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com108tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-39919546949039971442010-01-18T07:00:00.001-05:002010-01-19T12:43:47.424-05:002010-01-19T12:43:47.424-05:00

When I was parading around to college orientations, a common theme for the parent sessions seemed to be "Not worrying when your college student doesn't contact you". I heard this at both colleges so I think it must be a popular talk. The college employee doing the talks would even go so far as to tell parents under which circumstances someone would try to track down your child for you or how to

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com121tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-10946227194265766672010-01-15T07:00:00.000-05:002010-01-15T07:00:05.930-05:002010-01-15T07:00:05.930-05:00

Now that the hustle and bustle of the holidays are over and we have all settled back into our boring lives with hours of free time a day, I'm sure that you are like me and have promised yourself to get back working on that stack of books that you want to read. I always enjoy discussing reading with you all. You give me great recommendations on books and most of you share my love of books. The

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com128tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-16042565126119519432010-01-13T07:00:00.003-05:002010-02-17T08:30:26.387-05:002010-02-17T08:30:26.387-05:00

After we purchase a certain number of things, shouldn't we have part ownership of company?It seems to me that the volume of items we buy from a company should almost count as stock. For instance, our family owns the majority of Legos ever produced. As such, shouldn't I get a little kick back if the company's stock rises? I think so because without my family, that company would have gone under

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128fourkidsrgreat@gmail.com103