Most Certainly Not

I Had To Hurry Home Today...

Two monumentally big weights were lifted off my shoulders today so I had to hurry home before someone could ruin my good day!

1)  A guy in my class has a digital, audio recorder which he uses to tape lectures.  He happened to have the lecture from the Contracts class I missed the Monday before Thanksgiving when I was sick in bed all day.  That was the class where my professor spent the entire hour explaining how to calculate damages and basically setting up important formulas, etc.  So, I now have the lecture on my laptop to listen to as many times as necessary to understand!  Yes!

2)  I asked one of the college girls who works at M1's after school program about her availability in watching the girls this coming semester when I have a class that extends past the girls' daycare closing times.  She's available and interested in doing it!  Yes again!!

The only downer today, aside from having to get up and go to school, was the RAIN tonight.  Annie, the idiotic golden, doesn't have enough sense to come in from the rain after using the yard.  She required a bath, which Hubs supplied, but now my house REEKS of wet, stupid dog.  I KNOW someone wants a new golden retriever for Christmas, don't they?!  She's freshly bathed!

Of course, dog stink is being mitigated by Frosted Cherry Pop-Tarts and Grey's Anatomy.  There is hope for the end of this day yet!

Mission Birthday: SUCCESS!

We had a wonderful, family evening tonight!  We even all ate together at the dining room table which, I'm sorry to say, happens entirely too little in our humble abode.  Everyone had shells & sauce except for M2 who dined on her usual chicken noodle soup. 

M1 and 2 both had gifts to open.  One of the gifts was Boggle.  We played a few games before bath time.  M1 found some words neither Hubs nor I did, but she was a little frustrated that she couldn't find more.  I told her we'd just keep playing and before she knows it, she'll be an expert.  She is a wiz at circle-a-word puzzles so it's just a matter of reframing that skill for her.

My favorite part of the night was surprising her with a birthday cake.  I had baked one last night, but Hubs and I ended up testing it prior to bedtime.  It was too ugly for such a big day anyhow.  I picked up a 6" round cake at the bakery this morning when I was on cupcake patrol.  They put her name on it; it had beautiful purple flowers that were looked so real.  After dinner, I sent Brian out to "put candles on the cake I made" and when he came in with the surprise cake and special #8 candle, M1 was very tickled.  She had a huge smile and cheesed it up for pictures.  The cake was GOOD too!

I am still having great difficulty imagining that my daughter is 8.  It isn't because there is much about her demeanor that doesn't scream MATURE, but more because I distinctly remember the first time I laid eyes on that face eight years ago at 7:30 p.m.  It is still possible, though not as easy as it once was, to see that baby's face in the one my daughter has now.  Ask anyone who saw her then, she was a gorgeous baby with a pretty sweet disposition who rarely caused problems for her mama.  Now, the only part of that description that has changed is the "baby" part.

I'm a lucky mom.  I have been blessed with a child who is brilliant and empathetic.  It is just like her to completely erase any disappointment I might have ever had about my first marriage.  Aside from the fact that I like my ex-husband and love his family, how could you ever regret anything about a time in your life that brought you someone as special as that kid?  And, it's also completely like her to roll with the tide...I work hard to make the ride less bumpy, but she is also very forgiving.

Please, God...don't let the next 8 years pass as quickly as the first.  I'm not ready for Prom...and driver's licenses...and (gasp!) boys.  Lordy.

One of my friends said that God took the best of her and put it into her children.  I am not quite sure how far He had to dig around in this old girl to find what it took to make that little wisp of sunshine, but I'm sure glad He is persistent.

Happy Birthday, Pea Pie. 

Heard at Bedtime...

Mom to wee one:  "You know tomorrow is M1's birthday, don't you?"

M2:  "You mean when we wake up it is?"

Mom:  "Yes.  Tomorrow, when we wake up, it will be Sissy's birthday."

M2 smiles.

Mom:  "Do you know how old she will be?"

M2, shaking head:  "No."

Mom:  "She will be EIGHT years old."

M2, eyes wide:  "Wow...that's a lot."

Yes, yes it is.

Back to the Grind

I spent yesterday in total denial that the holiday weekend could actually be over already.  It's Tuesday, though, and I'm a little more accepting of the reality especially since I'm actually completing my final assignments of the semester.  THAT rocks.  I am very excited about the couple weeks off in December.  However, I keep telling myself, "Um, P.S. you have to take finals first" which does dampen my enthusiasm a bit.  Always raining on my own parade!

Stacy, thank you for the green bean casserole recipe.  It's the exact one I used from what I can tell and it was a huge hit.  Apparently, I'm quite the Casserole Queen.  I double batched the recipe and the casserole dish was scraped clean by the end of the party. 

M2 is coming along finally.  She was prescribed a lightweight (in my opinion) antibiotic which seemed to peter out Saturday night.  The child just slowed WAY down and became feverish.  Then, complaints that her ear was hurting.  On Sunday, she was no better.  I called the pediatrician, explained the situation and she okayed a new prescription for a different antibiotic without yet another doctor's appointment.  Thank goodness!  Hubs' father had to come to town yet again on Monday, however, because we couldn't take the chance of M2's fever coming back and her needing to leave school on a four-class day for me.  She didn't mind the extra "stay home day" one bit.

M1 will be 8 tomorrow.  I cannot believe I have a child who will be 8.  Eight is monumentally older than 7.  7 is closer to six...which is closer to 5 which is right next door to preschool-aged.  8, however, is much closer to 10.  10, which you may or may not have read on MSN.com, is the "new 15."  Um, not in my house it's not.  I am firmly committed to raising my daughter in a circa-1970's mindset.  It was good enough for Mama and it will be good enough for her too.

Our plans for tomorrow are as special as one can make them while taking 18 credit hours of law classes.  I have ordered 24 fancy, very tasty cupcakes from our favorite bakery for her school treat.  I will leave school when my last class ends tomorrow at 2:30 to go home and wrap the presents I bought over the weekend.  I will also attempt to procure some birthday balloons and streamers (which I might buy at the bakery in the morning and drop off before going to my class tomorrow) to decorate our dining room.  Wednesday night is traditionally Spaghetti Night and as one of M1's favorites, it will remain so tomorrow.  I have a yellow cake mix and chocolate icing (note to self, buy an "8" candle at bakery tomorrow!) which I will more than likely bake tonight.  So, what else does a kid need but her favorite dinner, decorations, cake, presents and her family to celebrate?  Can't think of a thing!

M1 is such a little worker, though!  She had a party with her dad's family over Thanksgiving.  She has ours tomorrow night.  Today, she asked, "Are we going to have a party in R (Hubs' and my hometown)?"  Well, well, well.  Always looking for an angle!  That's my girl!

Oh, and don't forget...there will need to be a kid party planned.  That's a whole series of blog posts in and of itself, so stay tuned for that.

Hubs' busy season has begun.  The boys in brown are working lots of extra time...be kind to them.  He has over 300 packages to deliver today.  Can you imagine!?

Friday night is all about chocolate chip cookies.  I have hungry troops who have been neglected during my ridiculously packed school semester.  It is my goal, however, that cookies will be in the mail by the middle of next week...no matter WHAT.

I realize lately my blog has been more chatty, home updating than my take on news, politics or life in general.  I hope to have a few righteous rants in my near future, but it could be a couple days.

I will, however, be happy to provide a couple mini-takes:

6 imams on a plane whose behavior prior to and after boarding can at best be described as questionable now want to make media hay over being escorted from the flight.  In a post-9/11 society, this type of provocative behavior is not welcome.  Best case scenario, this little fiasco was a "try this at home" activity they learned at the conference they had just attended.  Worst case?  A dry run.  The spokesman for the group counts Osama bin Laden among his buddies.  Frankly, I hope these folks DO boycott this particular airline because if it's a complete boycott, I will make that airline "The Official Airline of Guard Wife."  That would be a no-brainer.

4 guys leave a notoriously raucous strip club in the wee hours of the morning.  According to reports, one of the four had made reference to retrieving a gun from the group's car to settle a verbal altercation the group had become engaged in while inside the club.  This statement was allegedly overheard by an undercover officer working the club in an attempt to find reasons to close it.  The group of four enters the vehicle and the police officer approaches, identifies himself as a cop, and attempts to question the four men.  The driver hits the officer with his car, backs up and strikes a police vehicle and a building, then proceeds forward narrowly missing the officer yet again.  In the next few seconds, the officer who had been struck and four others staking out the club fire off 50 rounds, killing the driver and wounding a passenger.  One of the men fled the scene.  No gun was found on the club goers. 

The question now comes down to excessive force.  All the facts are not in, but here are some of my thoughts...hitting someone with your car will more than likely be perceived as deadly force by that individual and returned in kind;  the fourth man who fled could very easily have taken a gun with him; a 15-in-the-clip, 9mm handgun can be emptied in a matter of seconds and reloaded in less than a second; it's counterproductive to use the words "bride groom killed just prior to his wedding" and "coming out of a strip club at 4 a.m. on his wedding day" in the same sentence.  I'm withholding final thoughts on this, but it shouldn't be a surprise which way I lean.

Okay...back to homework.

FINALLY a breather!

The entire campus, except for the law students and those who taught our classes, was quiet today.  It was like a ghost town for the most part.  We had class at 10:30, our paper was due by noon and then another class at 1:30.  A few of us went out for lunch, which was nice, and then before long, school was OUT...not for summer, but for the long weekend and that's okay by me.

M2 was FINALLY given an antibiotic now that her ears are looking as if they are being impacted by her nearly two week Snot-a-pa-looza.  Of course, it knocked me out Monday and now, I'm also being prescribed an antibiotic.  Fantastic!  Just want to be cured by finals!

M1 is off for a long, holiday weekend with her dad's side of the family.  I'm sure she will have a fantastic time given they are in Music City U.S.A. until Sunday.

We have our traditional, family meal with my side of the family tomorrow.  Saturday, some law school friends are getting together for a lunch-a-rama.  I'm responsible for bringing a green bean casserole.  I'm actually going to have to find a recipe for that one because I don't do green beans as a rule.  I realize it's a traditional dish, however, and I actually have an oven I know how to work, so it's logical the kiddos would ask me to bring the casserole. 

I'd love to be scrapbooking at the moment, but the dining room overhead light has decided to just stop working.  So until I can gather enough lamps and lights from all over the house, scrapping will have to wait.  Oh, and might I mention Miss M2 is about to receive her second "sit in the chair until I tell you to get up" of the evening if she doesn't straighten up quickly.  Also not conducive to the scrapping!

Alright, off to the pharmacy to pick up all our meds.  It's me Priscilla and Little Elvis in the back...sheesh!

They Have Names

In reading B5 this weekend, I linked to a powerful new site.

For many of us who support the troops, they are never simply a number.  I often wonder when I hear a news anchor drone, "Four soldiers killed in Anbar Province today" who those four soldiers are.  Who in their family will be opening the door to see a chaplain and uniformed officers?  Where in our country is the town that hero will be returned to?  Are their children whose lives will forever be changed by that one little sentence?

For those who know these men and women are more than numbers (and even for those who don't), They Have Names is a testament to the memories of the work these heroes are doing.

CJ, from a Soldiers' Prospective, explains why this site took on such importance and why you'll want to get to know those finding a home at this site.

Now It Makes Sense

My peevish mood of yesterday was certainly not helped by the 3-point loss of Big Blue in Columbus.  When I woke up this morning feeling like I had a semi truck sitting in the middle of my chest, I realized...I was in a bad mood yesterday because I was coming down with whatever M2 has.  Oh, don't worry.  It won't strike me down until Thursday when I actually don't have anything to do but eat Thanksgiving dinner.  You have to love the timing of the germs!

I'm still working on my paper.

It's due Wednesday...ai-yi-yi!

Game Day

What?!  Liveblogging from the super awesome, Blue v. Bucks party you ask!? 

Nope.

Sitting at home keeping an eye on a still hacking M2 while Hubs and M1 are enjoying the party.  An ever-diligent me spent from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the library yesterday working on my paper so I could go to the party today.  I even skipped a fancy schmancy cocktail/dining out with some new law school friends to be able to go to the party today.  And, here I sit.

"Didn't you know M2 was sick?" you ask.  OF COURSE I did.  However, Hubs told me on Tuesday or Wednesday that he would "take care of it" so we could go to the party.  Unfortunately, my idea of taking care of it (lining up a sitter) and his idea of taking care of it (doing absolutely nothing but planning to take a sick child to a party) are two entirely separate things.  When he told me last night that he seriously planned to take M2 to the party, I wondered WHY he couldn't have told me that idiotic idea earlier in the day so I could have closed up shop early and at least salvaged my plans with my new friends.  A houseful of people, including small children, and he thinks it's a brilliant idea to take a kid who is coughing every five second and who needs her nose suctioned every other minute along for the ride. 

Here's the thing:  I doubt he really, seriously believed that was a good idea.  He simply knew he was going to be able to go to the party regardless of what happened with M2 because who else but her mother would be able to stay with her? 

Christmas is going to be SUPER easy this year.  Allowing a person to live in a bubble like that is a gift that keeps on giving.  No need to expend money and wrap something up, right?

So hoping my team wins today.  It would be a bright spot in an otherwise ridiculously dim weekend.  I'm not going to hold my breath, though.  Let's face it, I'd spend A LOT of time unconscious if I held my breath waiting for something to go the way I'd like it to go.

Godspeed, Coach

I had a hard time enjoying my lunch today when I heard the news that legendary Michigan football coach, Bo Schembechler had passed away earlier this morning.  He was 77.

ESPN.com, of course, has wonderful coverage of his storied career and one of the oldest, most vibrant rivalries in college football history.

I'm sure tomorrow at 3:30 Coach will be watching from the best seat in the house.

Wednesday Highlights

Only a few minutes, but wanted to keep you updated.

1)  M2 wore a diaper to bed last night and woke up dry this morning...she'd actually gotten up and used the potty.

2)  Emmit Smith won Dancing with the Stars and we're excited around this house for that!  He was a classy performer.  He had affection for his dance partner, but I didn't feel like I needed to cover M1's eyes when they took the floor.

3) No cavities for the two of three girls who had their dentist appointments this afternoon.  M2 chickened out.  Can't say I blame her.  No nap and we'd just come from the pediatrician's appointment.  She still took home the goodie bag full of freebies, though, and I'm sure they will talkl her into a cleaning next time.  Remind me to tell you about the failed first attempt to take M1 to the dentist sometimes.  It was a riot.

4)  I stopped at the grocery store after the dentist.  We came home and I cleaned the kitchen for Hubs.  Then, I put on a huge pot of chili soup.  He had 200 packages to deliver today in the driving rain...although he had a "jumper" so I should have made soup for that poor sap!  I will at least have decent food in my lunch tomorrow.  If I had seen another peanut butter sandwich and crunched up Townhouse Crackers, I'd have screamed.

5)  My paper is due next week.

6)  Michigan and Ohio State play this weekend.

7)  M2 is still coughing, but other than that (like THAT isn't bad enough!) she's supposedly fine.