The Easiest Contest I've Ever Judged

When two people enter a contest, it's pretty easy to come up with a winner. I asked J. to pick a number between one and two. He chose number one. Kelly was the first person to enter the contest and won the adorable shirt that will be mailed to her before the end of the week.
Congratulations, Kelly!! I loved the compliment you gave to your fellow blogger!

Thanks, also, to Happy Geek for playing along!

Okay, so only a couple of people participated in the contest.  That doesn't mean we can't all go to our favorite blogs and leave a compliment for the writer. 

Preparing For Kids - An 11 Step Program

I saw this on Red Sand's blog and laughed.  I knew I had to share.

Lesson 1
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the newspaper.
5. Read it for the last time.


Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their…
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breast feeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behaviour. Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel…

1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)

Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out…
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favourite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?


Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out. Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car..

Lesson 7
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find that has the patience of a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 8
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.
You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 9
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 10
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required).

Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years.
You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 11
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

Sunday Thoughts

• Don't you love it when two people so in love and so perfect for one another choose to be together for the rest of their lives?

• Why didn't anyone tell me about Murphy's Law of Diapers?  When you put a fresh one on a baby, he or she is certain to poop in it.

•  I watched my husband dance with beautiful Hannah today and it made my heart melt.  I love his gentleness.

•  If you choose to speak poorly about me behind my back, don't expect me to be nice to you.  Ever.  And please don't waste my time by pretending to be interested in my life.

• I have high expectations for people.  They oft disappoint.

• I have high expectations for myself.  

• How do I teach my children to use a fork and spoon?  

•  Are you who you write you are?  Some friends and I were talking about blogs and the people who write them.  Does your writing match your personality?  I've met bloggers whose blogs don't seem to match theirs.  If I met you in real life, would you be much like who you seem to be online?

•  My children have too many toys and only seem to want to play with empty bottles of pop.

• J. got to push Chick and Pea on the swings while I had the pleasure of cleaning litter out of our neighborhood park.  Seriously, why do people feel as though they can simply drop slurpee bottles and empty packs of cigarettes (not to mention the butts of their nasty cigarettes) around the BABY swings?  There were at least four wasps inside the slurpee bottle nearest to the swings.  

• Every parent should be informed about what is really in the products they use on their children.  Especially about sunscreens, pesticides, and bath/body products.  When you know better, you do better.  

• I'm addicted to Goldfish Crackers and Arrowroot Cookies.  There, I said it.

I Don't Even Know Who I Am Anymore

I bought a slow cooker. A slow cooker, people! If this doesn't say "commitment-to-cookery" I don't know what does.

Last week, I tip toed into the slow cooker-ation (?) by cooking a pasta sauce. Our friend Catherine and her daughter Hannah joined us for dinner that night and no one got sick! Go, me! So, this week I decided to try my hand at an actual slow cooker recipe with poultry. Yes, that's right...the vegetarian made a chicken dish in the slow cooker.

I was skeptical about putting frozen chicken breasts in an apparatus and leaving them there all day to "cook" (I believe my exact words were Pffffft!) but cook they did! In the end, we wound up with a Salsa Black Bean Chicken Soup that was amazing. The chicken literally fell apart when I was shredding it to put back into the soup, it was that tender. I blended some for the babies and Chick lapped it up while Pea made funny faces and wiped his tongue on his bib. You can't win 'em all.
This wasn't part of my six week meal plan, but I am quickly adding it as of today. If I sent you my meal plan, you might want to add this recipe in place of one of the other chicken recipes in the plan. I'm just sayin'.

Recipe:
2 small (or one large) chicken breasts (whole and frozen)
1 cup dried black beans (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)
4 cups chicken broth (I used veggie broth)
1 cup sliced mushrooms (I omitted this and used 1 cup chopped yams - I think I will use chopped red bell pepper next time)
1 cup frozen corn (I used fresh and I would add another cup)
1 jar prepared salsa (16 oz) We used mild because we knew we'd be feeding it to the babies, but if I were to make it for only me, I would have used hot.
1 1/2 tsp cumin (I like cumin a lot so I upped it to 2tsp)
1/2 cup sour cream (to stir in at the end)
shredded cheddar cheese, avocado slices, cilantro (all optional)

Put it all in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours (I did 8 hours) or on high for 4 - 5 hours.

High Energy

I used to be able to tuck the babies into bed and dive into iPhoto and blogger in order to write about the day's happenings. Now that we have two *almost* full-time walkers, life has taken a dizzying turn. A good turn, but dizzying nonetheless.
For the past week or so, once the babies are settled for the evening J. and I sit on our couch and stare. That's about all we can handle. Staring. If I'm lucky, I will get enough energy to scour the web in search of recipes for the next day's dinner, but that's pushing it.
Our kids are high energy kids. Like "Mount-Everest-High-Energy". I don't know that I could handle babies who weren't high energy, but for the love of all things holy, perhaps a little down time would help a gal out.
Some pictures from the last week:

We've been driving around in our push buggy.  Pea does not let the pink color deter him from having fun. 

We've been playing with bubbles (and saying (GAH-goss) when we see the bottle coming out!

So cute!!

Ontario Early Years sets up free mobile playgrounds in various parks across the region.  On this day, we took advantage of the toys in the park across the street.

My cool dude!  Chick refused to keep her sunglasses on.

He liked J.'s sunglasses so much that he wanted to rip them off of his face.

I gave the babies a mango to play with as I prepared their breakfasts.  Babies can't chew through the tough skin of a mango, right?  Wrong!!  Chick had half the tag sticking out of her mouth.  Sigh...look at those faces. 

This is gross, but it's a PSA for safety.  Never leave a razor in the bathtub/shower WITHOUT a cap on. Mine fell off the shelf and stabbed me in the pinkie toe.  Yowza.  Lesson learned.

Apple Love

I have owned Apple computers since 1998.  First I had the Blueberry iMac, then an eMac (not because the iMac wasn't working, but because I wanted an upgraded computer) then I bought the MacBook Pro  (which really is heaven on earth).  I love Apple and would NEVER buy a Windows machine even if Gates paid me money to own one.  Nope...never.
In the last 12 years, I have never, ever had to repair any of the computers I've owned. I've never had a virus, none have ever crashed and I've loved every minute of my Apple-ownership. 
For the very first time ever, I had to bring my baby Mac to the Apple Doctor.  The cord Apple sent to me last week worked for four days before it died and when it did, I assumed it was my computer frying the cords.  So, we arrived at the Apple Store in Toronto as soon as it opened this morning with my Macbook Pro in hand and with plenty of snacks to tide the babies over until lunch.  We were soon met by an Apple Concierge who squeezed us in for an appointment (we didn't know we had to make one).  While we waited to be called, I opened up one of the store's iTunes applications on a computer and Chick quickly put on a dance show for the workers and patrons.  She's pretty flirty, that girl.

No sooner had Chick given two shakes of her booty before a very nice guy came over to help us with the computer.  We told him about the problem and he put his hand on my shoulder and said, "We'll run some tests immediately and get some answers for you."

Now, as an aside, my computer is 2.5 years old.  There is no warranty on it and when we left the house today,  I had a number in my head that I was willing to pay to get the computer fixed.  If it was over that number, I'm not sure what I would have done.  

After about ten minutes, the Genius responsible for my Mac came back to say that the diagnostics tests on my computer came back perfectly normal and that my computer was in great shape.  He said that the cord was fried (we knew this already).  In my head I was thinking about all the rigamarole I would have to undertake (phone calls and the like) in order to get a new cord from Apple.  I asked my Genius what my next step was to be.  Do I go home and call Apple Tech Support with my case ID and figure something out from there?

My Genius put his hand on my shoulder once again and said, "No.  I'm going to give you another cord right now."

Um...what?

No hassle?  No expense?  No rigamarole?

Nope.

We walked out of Apple with two happy babies, two happy adults, a healthy computer and cord and with my money still stowed securely in my wallet.

Wow.  Customer service still exists.  I love Apple. 

Forgiveness

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I like this image. I spend a lot of time teaching my students about forgiveness. So many of them think that forgiveness means condoning others' negative actions. Just like apologizing is sometimes more about the importance of a relationship rather than one's ego, forgiveness is more about one's relationship with one's soul than with someone else. It's about not allowing a space for others' poison within one's heart. People who can't forgive carry that poison within them. Forgiveness is about us, not them.

Ultimate Blog Party 2010

I saw this event happening last year and thought it was a cool idea.  When I started seeing the banner pop up on friends' blogs this year, I thought I would join in on the fun.  Click on the banner above to find out more about it and join in if you would like to meet some great new people and have a chance to win some fun prizes.

Welcome to old friends and to anyone who is new to my blog.  I have been blogging since January of 2006 (under a different URL) and moved to the Two Kayaks' blog in June of 2007.  Between the two blogs, I have posted over a 1000 entries over the past few years.  I refer to myself as K1 and to my husband as K2 on the blog to keep our identities semi-private.  We have been married since August of 1996 and tried for years and years to have a family.  After having a go at various infertility treatments, we decided turn our attention toward international adoption in 2006.  When the wait times increased exponentially, we once again turned to some very helpful doctors who could help us build our family.  All we ever wanted was a family.

Finally, in December of 2008 we found ourselves pregnant with twins.After many years of failures and of losses it was difficult to put our faith in a pregnancy. Difficult doesn't even begin to cut it. However, on August 16th, 2009 two little miracles were born and our lives are fully immersed in all things baby. Pea (our son) was born first and Chick (our daughter) was born 40 minutes afterward. They are the lights of our lives.

I am a high school teacher who is currently on maternity leave and my husband works in the same high school as a custodian. We are very lucky to be able to work together.

These are a couple of the prizes I would LOVE to win:

1.   CmomGo is offering up a $200 Apple Gift certificate. 

2.   MomDot is offering up a $50 paypal cash prize for one winner.  Let it be moi!!

Great Customer Service!

After my last experience with an online retailer, I was hesitant to purchase anything of importance via the web. Ultimately, online shopping is far more convenient for me than packing up the babies and heading out, so I took another chance with a different Canadian retailer. I was most pleased.
I attempted to order an Ergo last week, but I did something wrong and the order didn't seem to go through. It was near to 4:00pm when I called customer service and knew I wouldn't reach anyone that day.  In fact, I had resigned myself to the fact that I may not hear back from anyone for a few days.  Bright and early the very next morning, I received a call back from a lovely woman assuring me that the order was fine and would be shipped out on Monday.  I received the order today and included with the purchase was a very cute pair of Baby Legs as an "Easter Gift".  Sweet!  So, not only was customer service rapid, efficient and friendly, but they went above and beyond with quick (and free) shipping and a bonus gift.  This is how ALL retailers should treat customers. 
So, if anyone is in the market for anything baby related I highly recommend this retailer.

Finally, an online retailer I can recommend with complete confidence.

Sunday Bullets

• Pea has another tooth (this makes three).  It's his first canine and I discovered it yesterday while feeding him.  A few nights ago, he was up quite often through the night and was so sad.  I wonder if it broke through then.

•  Chick has NO teeth.

•  We are at a standstill with regard to strollers.  We "test drove" two yesterday that we loved.  One is the Valco Tri Mode and the other is the Baby Jogger City Elite.  Can't decide. 

•  We need a bigger SUV.  We currently have a Jeep Liberty and, although we LOVE it, it is not big enough to handle the car seats (without pushing the front seats too far forward) and the double stroller.  I know it's not politically correct to own an SUV any longer, but we need the space. 

•  I bought seven spring outfits for the babies at a consignment shop yesterday.  The total cost was $45.  Can't beat that!

• My friend Almamay recommended we try baby led weaning and we are having a great time with it.  So far the babies have had toast with hummus, steamed broccoli, banana biscuits, asparagus, bits of veggie sushi (mostly rice, avocado and seaweed), baked apples, plums, and whole wheat pasta, kiwi, nectarines, peaches, cucumber, whole milk yogurt, bananas and potatoes. I love it and they love it too. They especially love holding the food and bringing it to their mouths on their own.

• The babies haven't required a bottle in the middle of the night for a while now.  We still bring two bottles with us when we go to bed, but tonight we are giving it up altogether.  They have proven to us that they no longer need the MOTN feed, so we will follow their lead.  

• Speaking of bottles, we put away all of our Dr. Brown's glass bottles and bought 6 plastic bottles last week (they are MUCH easier to clean).  However, after giving it a week, we decided that the babies drink much better out of the Dr. B. bottles, so we are back to cleaning all the parts.  Oh well.  I'd rather have them drink all their milk than leave it because they are frustrated with the effort it takes to drink out of the plastic.  

• Ask yourself this question:  When was the last time you walked up to a complete stranger and put your fingers on their lips/mouth?  Why do people think it is appropriate to do this to BABIES?  It frustrates me to no end when people do this to the twins.  What makes you think it is OKAY to do?  I don't care if you just washed your hands...DON'T DO IT!  Ack!

• We are teaching the babies sign language and it is helping their language development.  So far, they know many words including "milk", "cookie", and "cat".  They are not yet making the signs, but when we do it, they know what it means.  We don't refer to the kitty as Bear anymore because we know it will confuse them, so any time Bear walks near the babies, we make the sign for cat and say "CAT".  Pea LOVES Bear...sometimes a little TOO much and rips out clumps of fur.  Chick could take Bear or leave him. 

• The babies have been asleep for almost two hours.  I love naps!

• Some things I need to remember:

Click to enlarge

99 Things

I never do these anymore, but since it came from my sweet friend Joannah, I thought I would give it a go.

Here are the rules:

Bold the things you’ve done and post this list on your blog then leave me a comment and tell me you did this I can go see.  I bet this has gone around the blog world already, so if you've done it, let me know.

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyworld

8. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Written something that was published

11. Bungee jumped or parachuted

12. Walked across the Golden Gate Bridge

13. Been in a fist fight

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Seen the Rings of Saturn with a telescope

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when not ill

24. Built a tree house or snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Fired a gun

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal

44. Visited Africa

45. Cried yourself to sleep

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Visited the Eiffel Tower

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Pretended you cooked something from scratch when you didn't

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie or commercial

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold something door to door

62. Gone whale or dolphin watching

64. Donated blood, marrow, etc

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Held onto a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten frog legs or caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Time Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Done something illegal

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Sang a solo

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Climbed a mountain

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had surgery

89. Directly saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Seen a loved one die

94. Given birth to a baby

95. Visited the Alamo

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Sent a text message while driving

99. Been stung by a bee

I've done 37 out of these 99 things.  I think it's time I get up off of the couch and do some more!

Thank you for all your interesting comments on the last post.  Isn't it interesting how many of us jump in without thought?  I'm still pondering it all.

It's Saturday and one of my favorite days of the week.  K2 and I have had our yummy bagels, we've watched last night's episode of David Letterman, we've cuddled with Blueberry Bear and the day is still spread out before us. 

Although the forecast is calling for rain (what else is new around here) we won't let that deter us from enjoying this day.  K2 is already out and gone for an early morning bike ride and I decided to stay home and enjoy my PJs a little longer.  I feel no shame.

OOhhhhh!  There was just a commercial on TV advertising the Tin Roof Brownie Blizzard from DQ.  I had one last weekend and am still salivating over it.  I'm thinking that today may have to include this little treat. K2 had the Turtle Oreo Blizzard last weekend and it was yummy as well.  Decisions, decisions!  Life is good!

Rescue Me

K2 and I were watching one of our favorite TV shows last week (Rescue Me) when a scene played that struck us both.  The show is about firefighters and in this particular episode, the firefighters came upon a firey car accident.  While surveying the scene, they saw that one of the victims (a young child) had been thrown from the vehicle and was resting on the lawn. The cameras never panned to the young child, but the reactions of the firefighters were enough to let the audience know that the sight was gruesome beyond words.  One firefighter turned his head and was immediately sick.  None of them seemed to be able to approach the body in order to cover it before the parents or public could see it.  Except one.  Tommy, who lost his own son in an car accident, was the only firefighter who could do what needed to be done.

K2 looked at me and said, "You would do that". 

And he's right.

What I have been thinking about since that night is why. 

Why am I the person who is called for the worst of the bloody cases at school?   I mean, I can do it and gladly so, but why?  What is it about me that can do it?  What is it about anyone who can do it?

When J. was killed, her clothes and other personal effects were given to us in a plastic bag and left in the trunk of my dad's car.  I remember not wanting my parents or my brother to have to see the blood-stained clothes, to breathe in the scent of death or to see her butterfly necklace coiled tightly at the bottom of the bag.  So, I went out and grabbed the clothes to wash them before anyone could see them otherwise.  My mind can easily go back to that moment and my senses can relive it easily.

I think it's too easy to say that this is about strength.  In fact, it makes me angry to say that this is strength because labeling me as strong has sometimes made it too easy for others to negate my fear, my apprehension and my anxiety. I also think that by labeling it as strength, it labels those who cannot do it as weak and this is far from the case.  It is not about strength and weakness.

So what is it?  How can some people stomach the things they do, witness the things they do, and do the things they do while others cannot?  I often joke that I'm "dead inside" but I know I'm not.  I can't watch any commercials about animal shelters in need or even listen to a news report about animal abuse.  Where humans are concerned, though, I can do a lot. 

Is it that the need to take care of others overwhelms my fear?  Is it that my desire to prevent others from experiencing pain overwhelms the anxiety?

I have no answers and expect none.  It's just something I've been thinking about.

It's Been A While

I cannot believe how quickly time is passing this summer and am astounded that we are at the end of July already.  Sigh.

Thank you all so much for your comments and well wishes on the post about my mom.  I have to say that I wasn't worried about her, despite how worried she was.  I just had a strong feeling that it would all be okay and that if she did have cancer, she would be cured of it quickly.  I'm happy that she doesn't have to deal with it at all.

We were all geared up for referrals this month because my very good friend Catherine is SO close to seeing Hannah's face for the first time.  Sadly, Catherine missed the cutoff by one day and we were all pretty bummed for her.  The good news is that she is NEXT and I can't wait to finally see Hannah and to see Catherine become a mom.  Next up will be Doris and Dan and we can't wait for them to see their Baby Girl!!!

Speaking of new parents...Red Sand and Enviroman are leaving in TWO DAYS for China to meet their twin boys!!  How exciting is that?

K2 is working 10 hour days this summer which leaves me to my own devices Monday - Thursday for the better part of the day.  What happens when I am left to my own devices?  Organization and purging.  However, I must complete the organization and purge before K2 gets home each day so that he doesn't see all that I have thrown away.  He's not a pack rat, by any means, but he does like to hold onto things "just in case".  I have no emotional attachment to anything and can easily throw things away, so I do so while he is at work and he never catches on.  Deceptive?  Yes.  Necessary?  Absolutely.  As a result, our house is now very organized and mostly everything has a place.  We now need to focus on getting furniture for our finished basement.  My brother was storing a lot of his furniture down there, but he has moved it all out and into his new house.  Now, the basement is empty and we want to make it a living space.  Perhaps one of these days, K2 will come home to a fully furnished basement!

I am going to make more of an effort to post more often because I'm sure you're all just desperate to find out more about my organization follies.  Seriously, I need to get back to writing...

I leave you now with a picture of my biggest hinderance to organization:  Bear.  It takes forever to get going in the mornings because he pins me down until he's ready to let me go.

Bad Blogger

I know I've been absent from this blog.  Every day I try to think of something...anything to write about, but other than the following random list of thoughts, I struggle.  So, here are some random things I have been thinking about lately.

• I wonder if the cows I pass on my way to work in the mornings abhor being rained on.  I mean, they don't look upset by any means, but if I had to stand out in a mud field and be rained on first thing in the morning, I would be mooing angrily.  I bet I could pull off a really good angry cow.
  

• Birds start chirping outside our bedroom window at 4:30am.  I am one of those people who loves to hear birds chirp..even at 4:30am.  We have a lot of Robins and Red Winged Black Birds around our house.  Bear loves them and wants to be their friends, but they won't have it.
  

•  There are 8 teaching days left until exams begin.  I am a little stressed about how much I have left to teach before I can begin my exam review with my classes, but it will be okay, right?

• One of my students bought me a can of Alpha-getti last week.  Whatever happened to apples?  Is Alpha-getti a Canadian thing or are people in the States as lucky as we are?  I personally love dipping a piece of buttered bread into my Alpha-getti.
  

•  K2 and I are ecstatic that So You Think You Can Dance has begun its new season.  Thrilled is more like it.

• I have become woefully addicted to The Real Housewives of Orange County.  I watch New York as well, but I don't like the women on that one as much as l like the OC women.  Shameful, really.

• We haven't planned a summer trip for 2009.  This will be the first summer in a couple of years that we won't travel anywhere out of country.  In 2007, we went to San Francisco and last summer we went to Barbados.   It might be time to plan a winter trip to somewhere warm.  This past winter knocked us on our behinds with how cold and miserable it was.  I think the Mayan Riviera might be the ticket!

• How excited was I to hear about my friend's referral news?!?  Good things come to those who wait.

• Was I the only person who didn't watch American Idol this season?

• I was talking to my dad this week and was saying that I think some people really enjoy worrying.  I think they get a payoff for seeming so preoccupied with worry in the attention they get.  I believe the same is true for people who I deem to be "complain-i-acs".  You know, they're the people who complain about EVERYTHING and nothing makes them happy.  There has to be a payoff for being that miserable.

• Perhaps we should put the worriers and the complain-i-acs in the mud fields with the cows.  Maybe they would learn some gratitude?  Nah, the cows don't deserve that.
  

Bullets

• Why is it that Monday to Friday, the sun shines its warmth, but on the weekends it rains chilly, wet drops?  I'm tired of watching spring from my classroom window.

• I have three very brave friends who are waiting for referrals.  It would be really nice to see them become mommies VERY soon.

•  Bear gave me a good scare this morning before I left for work.  He was shaking and very sick.  I almost called in sick (which would be incredibly rare for me to do).  I gave him some snuggles, then asked K2 to go home on his lunch hour to check on him.  He's okay now.  Probably just a hairball.  

•  My best friend found out the sex of her baby today, but I forgot to ask her if I could post it here.  I just tried calling her, but there was no answer.  Sigh.
  

•  I have rediscovered sour watermelon slices.  It's a sickness, really.  I need an intervention

• Our next door neighbors...the ones against whom we filed a formal complaint with the city (due to their two dogs barking throughout the night) have MOVED!!!  There has been peace for the past seven days.  It has been glorious.  We are not brutal people.  We understand that dogs sometimes bark when they are outside and we have no problem with that.  What we were living with were two terriers barking for 45 minute intervals at all hours of the night.  We're talking midnight, 3:00am, 4:00am, etc.  

•  K2's volleyball season ended right before Easter.  He doesn't enjoy beach volleyball, so he is not joining a summer league.  I have lost my alone time.  
  

• My best friend just called.  She said I could show you the ultrasound picture from today as it is VERY obvious from that:

 

CONGRATULATIONS, TANYA!!!

Nothing

I have nothing to say.  Honestly, how much more can I write about Bear, about what K2 and I are up to on the weekends, and about teaching? 

An Interesting Experiment

I created an activity in my classes this week in which I taped the words "Agree", "Disagree", and "Neutral" on the walls of my classroom.  I had a list of controversial statements and each time I read one, the students would have to move to the section of the class that held the sign that corresponded with their view.  When all students were at their prospective spots, I would listen to the reasons why they chose to move there.  This was not about debating, but about listening and tolerance.

Some of the controversial statements I read were:
"Abor.tion should be made legal for all women everywhere."
"Murd.erers should be executed."
"Mari.juana should be legalized."

In the first two classes, the first statement I read was:
"Homose.xuals should be allowed to marry".

The classes were pretty well divided, with about a third on the "Agree" side, a third on the "Disagree" side and a third on the "Neutral" side.  We discussed why they each chose the position they did and then moved on to the next statements on my list.

In my very last class, I decided to change things up a bit and started with this statement: 
"All people are created equal."
The entire class moved to the "Agree" side without hesitation.
We talked about why they all chose to move to that side and then I moved on to this statement:
"Homos.exuals should be allowed to marry."

Every single one of the students stayed on the "Agree" side.  

Interesting, no?

So Attached

K2 and I can rarely sit anywhere in the house without the Blueberry Bear wanting some lovin'. He has always been super affectionate, but since Cheetah died, he has needed so much more loving. I love it!

On K2s legs.

 

 No Joke.

  

Cuddling with me...

  

 Overseeing my computer time...

  

 Keeping K2 warm...

  

 Making sure I don't leave for work...

  

 Helping with the housework...

  

Two more school days until Christmas Vacation!! Bear will LOVE all of the time he will have with us!

Left Alone With Our Socks

I filled K2's Christmas Sock last week and tonight I came home to see that my Christmas sock had been filled as well.

The bad news?

K2 and I have ZERO willpower when it comes to candy and all things sugary.

There has been some fondling of the socks.

There has been some unwrapping of some candy.

There has been some munching.

NO ONE should leave us alone with our socks.