Shameless Idol Worship

I love American Idol. I know, I'm a total geek. I realize it's cheesy and very possibly rigged, but I still love it. I have had my share of AI crushes over the years but only 2 have stood the test of time. My first one was this guy on Season 4. I shamelessly fell in love with Constantine. He was just so cool. Totally the kind of guy I would have dated in college if I was much cooler.

Then came Season 5 and I found a man to hold a guitar pick, er candle, to my Constantine. Chris Daughtry. Yumm-o. I loved every single thing he sang. Everything he did was SO COOL. Then they did his hometown interview and his wife looked JUST LIKE ME! She was not model-hotness. She was a cute average American woman. That was just the bees knees.

For those of you who don't know, last Sunday was the Big Bon Jovi Girls Nite. With the addition of my tag-a-long husband. Tim and 10 chicks in a limo. He was in his glory~girls who were forced to sit and listen to him talk! I loved Bon Jovi. They were awesome as usual. When we first got out tix last fall we had heard that BIG AND RICH were going to be the opening act. While I would have LOVED to see John and Big Kenny, I was over the moon when I heard Daughtry was the official opener. Purrr. . . . He was awesome.

So now I can not decide if Chris has actually de-throned Constantine but it's pretty dang close. This season? David Cook is probably my favorite guy singer but he's kinda dorky looking so we'll see. There is no hotness to touch Constantine. I think I'll convert to Greek.

**Thanks to Leenie for the great Daughtry pic**

Who Says You Can't Get Somethin' for Nothin'

Check this out. I am going to McDonald's for breakfast Thursday AND Friday! Meet ya there.

It Was Not Supposed To Happen

It happened. I have an affliction. One I swore would never happen to me. I am a good girl. I plan. I prepare. But this little thing b____ slapped me upside the head. I was watching an old episode of "Dharma and Greg" with Dharma taking care of her new baby brother. I have baby fever. My baby is huge. He is ready to leave home and take a wife. I need a new one. I think I'll go have a drink until this feeling passes.

Influenza

Get your flu shots. We didn't. Doc said it was a "hit or miss" year. Our insurance didn't cover it so we skipped it. That was dumb.

Fab Deal ALERT!

If you love J Crew~and what Calvin grad doesn't?~click here for a great deal! Error on their website and they are honoring the price til it's fixed!

Not a deal anymore! They were $5.25 last night with free shipping.

FRIDAY FIVE

Five Cutest Things About Wyatt
1. He sits up now.
2. He has 2 little teeth.
3. His expansive wardrobe. Who says boys are no fun to shop for?!?
4. The endearing way he yanks on my hair.
5. The 5 am giggling wake up call.

Five Reasons I Am Done with Winter
1. I hate wearing a coat.
2. Static-y hair.
3. My kids are inside ALL. DAY. LONG.
4. My car is gross.
5. My skin is gross.

Five Greatest Valentine's Day Songs
1. Love Stinks~J Geils Band
2. In Your Eyes~Peter Gabriel (The even-a-loser-can-get-a-girl song)
3. Makin' Love Out of Nothing At All~Air Supply
4. I Want Your S__~George Michael (Don't want words picked up on searches!)
5. With or Without You~U2

I Have Found My People

I was at my happiest in the 80's when argyle and monogrammed sweaters were all the rage. I lived in layered polos with the collars up, my sweater thrown jauntily over my shoulders and docksiders. I never embraced acid washed Guess jeans and IOU sweatshirts~I wore turtlenecks with college sweatshirts and pearls. Ah, those were the days. So imagine my unadulterated JOY when I entered the mall and found THESE for my little man.



And THESE for my big man.


And THESE for my girls.






And for me? Nothing. I still need to lose like 30 pounds in order to wear this~~and yes it IS that tiny!


I am SO thrilled to see preppy coming back in a big way this spring. I just adore it and probably always will. So what's one thing you'd LOVE to see come back. A whole look or just one piece you loved? The banana clip? Tight-rolled jeans?

Campaign Promises

We were driving home from Bible study this morning and listening to talk radio. They were discussing the new economic stimulus plan. Rush was talking about the senate version and said "We don't need more money for food stamps!" Greta pipes up from the back, "Yeah! We don't need more money for fruit snacks!" There you have it voters. If you elect Greta she will veto any bill that proposes more money for fruit snacks!

I Dare You

Go ahead. Tell me I don't have the cutest baby boy EVER.


OK, so he does look a little bit like Squiggy. But Squiggy was cute. In his own special way.




He is just yummy. And 6 whole months old. He's 18 pounds and finally learning how to sit up. Sort of.

Aim High

In typical mother-of-four fashion I neglected to post for Greta's 3rd birthday a few days back. Miss Boo hit the Big 3 with much fan fare in Hilton Head. She told me today she was "sad because for my birthday we did not have a cake and lots of peoples like my friend Olivia." (Gee, thanks Shawnie!) I then reminded her she had cake and lots of peoples in Hilton Head AND she got a bike which she could ride because it was warm in HH. She giggled and said, "Oh yeah. I forgot. So when do I get another cake and another lots of peoples?" When you turn 4.

Here is Miss Boo assuming her favorite position, learned by her dear Aunt Kim. She got very mad when I interrupted Dora for a photo op.

Greta has grand plans for life. When asked what she would like to be when she grows up she answered, "The lady who gives kids cheese at Stracks and a princess." Well, we figure she'll be successful as the Princess of the Kingdom of Butt Crack.

Happy Late Birthday Boo! We do love you!

WWKD?

So I know y'all have been waiting with faded breath to see what decisions I came to regarding chores. I really couldn't decide which way to go~though I loved reading everyone's ideas.

**Note to self: If you are short on comments, give people an opportunity to tell me what to do. Most comments I have had since the Baby Naming Fiasco. Another example of y'all telling me what to do! :-)**

So I did what my wise sister would do. I actually have a bracelet that says WWKD? I watched lots of TV to come up with my answer. I hit everything from the beloved Supernanny to Kids by the Dozen and my favorite for household inspiration~The Duggar Family! OK, so the mom has a fierce she-mullet but she runs a tight ship and I want to learn from her. So here is what I have come up. Much of my plan is shamelessly swiped from the dress-wearing homeschoolers. I do not want to wear a dress or homeschool, but WOW. They are some smart chicks. :-)

In addition to the kids having specific chores, we all have our own area or jurisdiction. Everyone is responsible for their own stuff but each person checks their jurisdiction before stories can be read at bedtime. Here's the breakdown.

TIM
Lunches~helping the girls make lunches for school
Kitchen~clean up after dinner

JEN
Breakfast~planning and prepping
Dinner~planning and cooking
Office~straighten up, filing
Staircase (things pile up there during the day)
Laundry~'nuff said
Master bath~wipe down any gobs of toothpaste, clumps of ick

CAROLINE
Hall bath~clean once a week
Kids' bath~clean once a week
Hallway (another place things pile up)

AMELIA
Family room~put away magazines, books, afghans, pillows, and the remote in it's home

GRETA
Mudroom~make sure all shoes are in cubbies, hats ect in the basket, coats on hooks

WYATT
Working on sitting up, moving to crawling

DAILY~the girls will unload the dishwasher, set and clear the table, and make sure their backpacks are ready and clothes are set out. Keep room neat and bed made~except Greta til she gives up her nap.

WEEKLY~put dirty laundry basket in hallway, put away clean laundry, take out trash.

So that's my plan. We discussed it at dinner and all were excited. Especially the little girls since we starting by telling them only Caroline got jurisdictions cuz she was big. They fell right into that trap! Stay tuned for Post #2~Theories on Allowance

Did you do your chores?

I love Supernanny. She is so cool. I also love to watch because there is something gratifying about seeing people more screwed up than you! Tonight's episode featured a family with kdis who werew 7, 11, and 14 and had never done a chore in their life. Not one. Spoiled kiddos. The parents meant well, wanting the kids to be "happy" and have a nice life but in the process failed to teach them any life skills or values. Among my many pet peeves is helpless kids. Drives me crazy when I see moms at school carrying their 5th grader's backpack and coat for them. Are their arms broken?!?!

One of my New Years Resolutions this year is to re-vamp the chore list. Or to actually have one. The girls have to help with things~set and clear the table, clean up rooms, put away their laundry~but there is no specific list or jobs for them. I want to change that. My dilemma is what is age appropriate for each kid. I tend to expect too much of Caroline and not enough of Amelia and Greta. I also grapple with my slight leaning towards perfection. I kinda like things a certain way so I just end up doing it myself so it's my way. I know this helps no one. So I'm asking y'all here. What do your kids do? Is it posted, specific chores or more of a "we all help out" kind of thing? At what ages do you expect your kids to do certain things?

Another thought for comment. Are chores in your house tied to allowance? Should they be? I already have an opinion on this but I'd love to hear others.

I Have Been Remiss

Sorry about the lack of reading material. It has been C-R-A-Z-Y! We spent the Christmas holiday running from family party to family party. Lots of fun with 4 kiddos! They actually did pretty well. We spent the week in between in Hilton Head~post later on that.

The sad news of the week was this DUI crash. The mom~Bethany Griffin~was an internet friend of mine from my Gymboree/Ebay chat group. We had just spoken about trading some outfits as our girls were close in sizes. She had just emailed us all a pic of Vadie's new nursery the week before Christmas. She and I bonded over our political views~she had 2 dogs named George and Laura so you can draw your own conclusions there! Bethany had been thru a tough divorce but had just remarried and had Vadie with her new husband Danny. She was a great person to do business with, always adding socks or hair stuff to an outfit as a freebie which is a big deal in the Gymbo~world. She will be missed in our group and by her family. Also killed in the crash was her 10 yr old daughter Haley, 8 yr old daughter Lacie, 8 week old daughter Vadie, and 10 yr old step-daughter Jordan. Surviving the crash was her husband Danny, son Beau, and step daughter Sidney. Bethany's oldest son Brett was not with them at the time. You can visit the memorial website here.

Please keep them in your prayers. I know it's so over-said but please don't let someone drive drunk. This guy was so wasted that employees at Taco Bell noticed and tried to stop him. His family was with him when he was drinking and didn't stop him from leaving.

Merry Christmas to All!

It was a good Christmas. As I sit here, Wyatt is laying on the floor in the middle of tons of wrapping paper. Amelia and Greta are playing "Twister Sisters" in their new Dora and Princess tents. Caroline is playing "Tim McGraw" for the 50th time in her new CD player trying to learn every word.

The other reason that it's a great Christmas is that THIS was last year and NOT this year! Love me some Wyatt but wow. That was hard.

Now on to Hilton Head. . .I think. . .If Tim can talk me into it. . .

Hope y'all had a great holiday!!

Balls Are Good

If you have never enjoyed a snack of Christmas balls, go here. And be prepared to pee your pants. And hide the kiddies away. Grown Up humor.

Friday Five

Back by popular demand. The Friday Five

FIVE THINGS TO MAKE YOU GAG
1. The smell in a public bathroom.
2. Your almost 3 yr old drinking out of strangers cups at McDonalds.
3. Peas.
4. Warm water and mustard.
5. Opening up a tube of crescent rolls and seeing bugs.

FIVE BEST CHRISTMAS SONGS
1. 12 Days of Christmas~McKenize Brothers
2. The Hanukkah Song~Adam Sandler
3. Redneck 12 Days of Christmas~Jeff Foxworthy
4. Merry Christmas from the Family~Robert Earl Keen
5. Blue Christmas~Elvis

FIVE BEST QUOTES FROM CHRISTMAS MOVIES
1. "It's just like Santa's workshop! Except everyone looks like they want to kill and it smells like mushrooms."
2. "I could not be more surprised if I woke up with my head sewed to the carpet."
3. "THE BLESSING!"
4. "What's the problem, TODD? I don't know, MARGO!"
5. "You're supposed to miserable. It's Chrismas."

Ebay Christmas Goodies

Here's my newest round of auctions. And they are tanking. Ugh. Please bid 'em up. Please. I beg of you.

We Gather Together: A Thanksgiving In Pictures

Everyone at the feast. Notice how it's one of those tables that goes on into the sunset? Rich turned preacher and gave a nice mini-sermon. Short enough that the girls did not throw themselves on the floor in fits of hunger. All take note of the absence of Boy Wonder. He slept straight through dinner. Yep.

Josh and Sara were down for their official first Thanksgiving as married folk. I think only 50 people hinted for a baby announcement soon. Josh was unduly excited by stuffing. And Sara sporting cute new hair!

Very cute Joel and Liz. Celebrating their third Thanksgiving as married folk and their last as child-free people! WOO HOO!! Liz is expecting their first baby! Yeah! I get to be an aunt again! Yes, it is all about me.

Greta finished off her dinner with a nice Reisling. Yes, I did stop her before she actually drank it but hey, I know a great picture for her high school yearbook when I see one.

Happy Rich and Judy after a little food and a lot of wine. Amelia ends up in all the pictures.

Here's a quick photo tour of Rich and Judy's awesomely cool house. Lighting isn't great~I was playing with my camera. Here is the 2-story stone fireplace.Here is how my entry way would look is I never threw my keys and mail on the table. Or I didn't have 4 kids. And a husband. And I bothered to clean up one in a while.This is the happy place. Whenever our family therapist says "Go to your happy place." This is where we go. Maybe that is part of the problem. They have a fab wine cellar.A bunch of us sipping dessert wine. I'm not sure what it was but we bought a bottle. Jefferson bought 5. I think I'll go to his house for dessert.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
As per tradition, Tim's fam comes down for the rest of Thanksgiving weekend. We get a lot of Christmas shopping done, go to the movies, eat, and watch a Christmas movie. This year is was "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" "Grace? She passed away 30 years ago. THE BLESSING!"For the past 5 years we have gone to a Japanese steakhouse for dinner on the Friday after Thanksgiving. The kids love it and we always have a good time and eat WAY too much. This was Amelia first year to go with . We get a sitter for the little kids and this year she got to go along. She was mesmerized by the whole process and particularly enjoyed her Kiddie Colada, complete with little umbrella. I tried to take her picture but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the grill.Just a shot of 5 of the 7 grandkids.Amelia had a B-I-G weekend. Goodnight.

Move Over. . .I'm Jumping on the Bandwagon

OK, I hate to be a joiner but since all my BFFs have cute new avitars, I so needed one too. Ain't I cute all animated?!

I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours

I walked into this discussion tonight when the little girls had been sent upstairs for PJs. They were both nekkid from the waist down and checking things out, ahem, "down there."

Mom (very casually, as not to scar them for life)~Whatcha doin?

Amelia (very excitedly)~We're looking at the holes in our bottoms!

Mom (trying not to turn green)~OK, well, let's get our PJs on.

Greta (jumping up and down with joy)~I HAVE A HOLE IN MY BOTTOM!!!

As I am trying to convince Greta to put her PJs on she says,

Greta~Mommy, can I see the hole in your bottom?

Mom~Um, nope. That's private.

Greta~PUH-LEEZE!!! You can see mine!!