Merry Christmas, where's my floor?

I can't find it. I find battery wrappers, little bits of cookie crumbs, smushed bows, discarded instructions, balls of tissue paper, empty candy wrappers, shredded parts of wrapping paper, discarded remains of a helicopter box, clothing boxes, racecar track, various sizes of cars, mini air hockey game, coloring books, colored pencils, various Spiderman gadgets, miscellaneous board games ........ but no floor. It'll be next Christmas before I can clear a path to my tree to put away ornaments and store the tree!!!

I was given many lovely bath scents, scented body lotions, colognes, scented candles and bath soaps. Each one smelling more beautiful than the last. But now I wonder, do I need to get stronger deodorant? Are they trying to send me a subtle message? Do I stink???

Mom & Dad gave me a new drug for my children. You can buy this at Wal-Mart among other places, usually on sale if you watch for them. No Rx needed. It's called "DVD/VCR combo". It's a miracle drug. It instantly stops fights the minute you plug it in & turn it on. It's easy to hook-up, one push of a button and it's turned on. I love it.

Only one problem - it's just like the Rx with the childproof cap that only a kid can get off...... I got it hooked up, no problem, got the DVD in it and when I looked at my TV screen, I froze. What the heck is that? The 10 year old alien, exasperated, took the remote from my frozen hand and said, "Push this one Mom" then handed it back to me with a sigh and a shake of his head. Where the hell did he learn to work one of these?? We've never had one! Don't laugh at me, I'm the one person on the block that COULD set the clock on the last VCR we had. What's wrong with me that I can't figure out this thing? I'm officially a dork in my kids eyes.......... I have reached a new height (or a new low?) in parenthood.

Thank You All....

I just wanted to thank all of you for your kind words and prayers for my family and I as we go through this holiday season, this year without Grandma B. It really meant so much to me. I pray you are all blessed ten times over the way I have been blessed by your kindness.

My son put the whole thing in perspective Christmas Eve....... "Hey Mom! I just realized something................ Great-Granny B gets to spend Christmas with Jesus! She gets to be with him on his birthday!!! " (silence) Then whispered in a low voice filled with awe....... "That is SO cool!"

Out of the mouth of babes. Merry Christmas everyone.

Smack The Penguin

Smack The Penguin Click on the Yeti once to start & again to smack 'em. The ASPCA is going to start investigating me soon.........

Goofy stuff

Poke the Penguin

Singing Horses click once to start, once to stop

By the way, I really really love penguins but that first one is too much fun.

I need a life.

Answers for Inquiring Minds......

Well, you asked - so here it is!

Burfica:
1. My favorite candy bar is a snickers (can't get screwed? Have a snickers, it's got nuts and it really satisfies - thank you George Carlin), favorite sweet is a Waldorf Astoria cake (sin on a plate!)

2. My favorite religious Christmas song is Silent Night, and a fun Christmas song I like is "I Want A Hippo for Christmas" (recorded in 1953)

3. My favorite animal in the whole world would be a cat because they're just like women (even the males). They're beautiful, spend a lot of time primping, they are self-sufficient for the most part, can be high maintenance if they want to be (but really aren't), loved to be pampered and last but not least, they're brilliant and rarely, if ever, wrong. ;)

Gama:
1. This Christmas I will be spending the holidays with my parents at their home (about 5 miles from where I live). The boys and I will spend Christmas Eve quietly with a friend and her son eating oyster stew and watching Christmas movies. Christmas Day the family will gather at Mom & Dad's for the day with about 12 people in attendance. My sister, her new husband and step-kids will be absent (They'll be in Costa Rica).

2. My favorite color is pink, second is blue.

3. My favorite day of the week is Saturday (I get to sleep in and go to church too).

Alekx:
#1) Is binge eating chocolate considered an extreme sport?

#2) My dream career...hmmmmm..... own a preschool/daycare. I like to be bossy hehehe.

#3) Vibrators or ticklers...... ah, what's a tickler?

Preschool Christmas Party

We had a great time with the kids at the school Christmas party. One little girl's mom sells "Tastefully Simple" (gourmet goodies) and we had a great big bag filled with wonderful things! Many children brought us tins with cookies and tons of home-made Christmas cards (the most special gifts). Of course, they all brought us tons of love.

(o.k. enough of the cute color thing, it's too much of a pain!)

One little boy in particular was rather clingy with me today & he usually isn't (at least not with me). He told me he thought Miss Colleen needed extra hugs - who was I to turn him down??? :)

After shoving them full of cookies & juice, playing games, singing songs, opening presents and making magic reindeer food (looks suspiciously like dry oatmeal & glitter) - we sent the parents on their way, got the children semi-calm to eat some healthy food for lunch and put them down for a nap. A very good day indeed.

This One's for You Gigantor!

Had a better day today, not missing Grandma so much, thinking about getting the last-minute shopping done Thursday (off work Th & Fri!! yippee!) since I couldn't do it last weekend (see previous post....)

I'm driving North on IL Route 2 on my way home from work, visions of credit card bills & Spiderman stuff dancing in my head, munching on an open tin of cashews when, out of nowhere - another Northern Illinois native commits suicide with the help of my 1992 Buick. Sh*t - I lost the other headlight.

**My car still wasn't fixed from the last time I hit one of those damn things.
**The county police are ready to call the game warden on me!
**Dad is pissed that he had to pay for a hunting permit to get deer & I didn't.

My co-workers are never gonna believe this.

The shock wore off

The shock of my grandmothers' death wore off tonight. I finally was able to just sit down and cry. To just say outloud to no one that I missed her and loved her. I feel much better even though I'm in a bit of a funk still........ it's going to be a different kind of Christmas this year.

Long Weekend

We left Saturday morning about 11:00. Dad & Mom drove the boys and I down to southern Illinois with them. There were so many family members already staying with aunts, uncles & cousins that Mom & Dad stayed with my other grandma and got the boys and I a hotel room in town.

The family wake was at 4:30, it was difficult for all of us. We went over to my aunt & uncles for a bite to eat, visited for an hour or so with my grandma at her home, then Dad took us back out to the hotel so the boys could kill a bit of energy in the pool playing.

It had been four hours in the car for them, another hour at the funeral home and then another couple of hours cooped up in the house with family. They were good but ready to blow. The swim did them good, a treat out of the vending machine and a soda, then cable t.v. cartoons to relax. We were asleep by 10 pm.

Sunday we slept in (7:30 am), had breakfast at the hotel and got ready for the funeral. It was back over to my aunts to have a quick bite of lunch and then get to the funeral home my 12:30 pm. We shook hands with a sea of people. It was wonderful to see that my grandmother had touched so many other lives the way she had touched mine.

The service was beautiful. A celebration of her life, not mourning our loss - we celebrated her going to her eternal home in heaven with the Lord.

My 10 year old son tucked his favorite watch and an "I love you" note in the casket with his great-grandma. My younger son, age 7, had a lot of questions about death.

Why was she cold? What happens to the blood when you die? How come she doesn't feel real Mommy? (HE chose to touch her hand after asking if it was alright.)

She's cold because the part of her that made her warm to hug went to heaven to be with Jesus. Your body needs the blood when it's alive, when you go to heaven, you don't need your body anymore so you don't need the blood. (He didn't ask where it went and I didn't offer.) She doesn't feel real anymore for the same reason she doesn't feel warm - the loving, warm part of her that we liked to hug went to heaven to be with Jesus. Not the best answers but he's 7, he doesn't need biological facts that would scare the crap out of him. It's confusing enough to deal with death for the first time.

The service at the cemetery was brief due to the -15 wind chill. We all held up fairly well most of the day. Mom broke down in the car before we left. She didn't want to put her mother into the cold frozen ground.

The ride home was quiet. I'm still in a little bit of shock, unable to cry too many tears.

Grandma had a great life, she witnessed the invention of so many things. She experienced the depths of poverty and hardship, she experienced the good life. She touched thousands of people along the way. She will be missed.

Going Home.....

Grandma B had another massive stroke last night. Mom got the call about 10 pm. She's gone home to be with the Lord.

I saw this on another blog I read frequently and although I haven't made any recommendations or asked any questions of her yet, I thought I'd go ahead & post it here. I don't really expect any responses but I thought it would be fun to do and see if anyone leaves a comment on this one.

1) First recommend to me:
A) a movie
B) a book
C) a musical artist/album/song

2) Ask me any three questions you want, anything at all.

3) Go to your blog (if you have one), copy and paste this and allow everyone to ask you anything.

Massive Stroke

Grandma B suffered a massive stroke last night. She's basically in a coma and we're waiting for her passing. I can't believe she came through the surgery so well only to have this happen. The doctors don't think she'll make it through the night.

Grandma

My Grandma B, who will be 96 years young next month fell and broke her hip. Her surgery was Friday and she came through it well. We're concerned about her blood pressure and the risk of a fatal stroke though. Until 2 years ago, she lived in her own home and was still driving! We moved her into an assisted living facility because of blood pressure regulation problems. Her health did not require regular medical attention in a nursing home until about 7 months ago. Serious problems started when she broke her hip.

The Christmas pageant

My preschool class had their Christmas program (along with the rest of the daycare) at the church today. I was thrilled to see almost 4oo people show up! The church was packed - standing room only. The children looked so adorable in their Christmas-best. Little girls in frilly dresses, velvet, and little red bows in their hair. Little boys with dress pants, sweaters and ties. It was all way too cute.

My class sang "Silent Night" (which I also taught them the sign language for) and they sang "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". We put big red pom-pons on popsicle sticks so they could have a "red nose" when they sang the song. Corny I know, but you only had to hear the giggles of the parents know they loved it.

The afternoon was topped of by over half of the attendees gathering in the basement for cookies, cake and punch. I enjoyed getting to talk to some of the parents in a less formal atmosphere than usual and meeting some of the parents I hadn't met before. (Usually Mom OR Dad is the pick-up and drop-of person & we never get to meet the other one.)

All in all, a wonderful day.

Laptops = Birthcontrol???

Researchers at Stonybrook announced they had completed a study about males who used laptop computers. This was not your gaming, surfing kinda study. This study had to do with male sperm and laptop computers. According to the study, if you use your laptop on top of your lap, you're killing your sperm (if your a man that is). The heat generated by the laptop is disintegrating the little guys. To be less than delicate, you're not even shooting blanks. You're not shooting anything.

So, forget the expensive, painful surgery guys, just get a good laptop and surf away!

Sick & Bored

I've been home sick the last two days with tonsilitis, sinus infection and larengitis....... but no strep!

whoopie.

I am soooooooooooo bored.......... I've played my Pharaoh game through two levels, updated this blog, I even washed dishes & cleaned the cat box!

I want to go back to my crappy job and let small children wipe icky stuff on me again. I need human contact....... and I think I'm starting to cramp my cat's style being home all day.

Removal of Nasal Blockages

Listening to the older alien tell the younger alien proper removal techniques of the gumball lodged up his nose is too funny. Well, it's funny for me since I have no social life.........

"You gotta plug the other side of your nose and blow like your shooting boogers out - that will make it come out.........

(sounds coming from room, icky ones)

NO, blow HARDER! HARDER!

(silence)

You're not trying and I'm not going to pick it out for you, go see Mommy.

(silence) HEY! Don't pick it up and eat it now, it's got boogers on it!

MOOOOMMMMM! He's eating it!"

Where did my life go soooooo wrong?

Gumballs are NOT noseplugs

Where are the sweet little darlings I gave birth to? They've been replaced with aliens. The younger of the two aliens impersonating my children (age 7) shoved a gumball up his nose. Why?

Another One Bites the Dust

Well, it's Monday and we had another kid get sent home, this time with Impentigo (spelling?). It's a strain of the strep virus. That brings our grand total to seven kids. (And my throat is getting worse........ this does not bode well for me.)

Strep is Rampent in My Classroom

We sent two more kids home today with strep........ some have called in over the last few days and our total is up to six children sick with strep....... we were disinfecting the room today. My throat has been sore & I've got larengitis...... I hope I'm not getting sick too.

The Lone Ranger

Looks like that huge mouse was alone....... still don't have another one in the traps I set yet and the cat food isn't dissappearing at an alaming rate anymore. Thank heavens.

Sick Ward

We sent a little girl home today because she wasn't feeling well.... turns out she had strep throat and was breathing all over us all morning...... great now I'm gonna get it.