so ready to rock

I am counting down the hours till the Angels & Airwaves concert tonight. I have yet to miss a Blink 182 show that has come through Milwaukee, with the exception of one. John was in Denmark and I couldn't convince anyone to go with me AND couldn't find a sitter. I was bummed to say the least. But we have tickets and a sitter for tonight and I am siked. We even opted for dinner and drinks before. Now I am hoping this concert does not turn into the same fiasco as the U2 concert we went to a few years ago. I promised John I would hydrate all day to prevent overheating in the concert (and eventually passing out on the nasty floor covered in spilled beer and God knows what else) Did I mention Bono was so close to me that he was sweating on me? Or that there was an extremely hot Irish soccer player for the Wave behind me? Yeah, it was all bad. I am even hoping to work my magic and get backstage. now that I am up in my years I am not sure that will happen anymore. But a girl can dream!!

hat head

Yes it was me. I was the bizarre woman driving her kid to preschool wearing a pirate hat. "You be crazy pirate Momma". For some odd reason Grady wanted me to be a crazy pirate that raced and crashed into all the other cars on the road. "Faster Momma! Faster!" Obviously the excessive 'vrooming' noises were not a replacement for REAL speed. He also wanted me to zig zag the car like his dad does when the streets are empty. Due to the high amount of traffic I had to decline this request as well. I got many strange looks and a few snickers from onlookers in other cars. Thankfully I didn't get pulled over for some reason or another. I wonder if this story would have gotten me out of a ticket??

double sock phenomenon

Two pairs of socks, two games and four goals (technically five but I won't go there). I am sure this makes no sense to anyone outside the so called 'soccer world', but it has been lurking in my mind for two weeks now. I have played soccer forever, or at least my knees would say it feels about that long. As long as I have played I have only worn one pair of socks. If you play you would say this is an oddity as almost everyone else wears at least two. (This does not including third world countries and those crazy enough to play in their bare feet) Because I have very wide feet AND high arches I have always had a hard time finding soccer shoes. But finally the gods of soccer took pity on me and developed shoes for women - who'd a thunk it?? Anyway, I have had these shoes for three years now and they have stretched out rather nicely. After being razzed and continuously questioned by various teammates for only wearing one pair of socks, I decided to give the "double sock" thing a try. I have to say it felt amazing! There was no sliding or slipping inside my shoes and when I would plant my foot, it actually stayed. After week one I thought it was perhaps a fluke but week two was even better! I know this theory probably won't last much longer and my streak will soon come to an end but the coincidence is quite intriguing. If it holds maybe I will have a career on the women's national team after all. Watch out Missy.... her I come!

because it is 4:00 on a sunday afternoon

What better time to start a kitchen project then at 4:00 PM on a lazy Sunday afternoon? The actual thoughts running through MY mind at this time are worded quite differently but I will try my best to keep this PG. John got one of his brilliant brainstorms to redo the backsplash behind the sink. Since he decided we aren't moving he has decided that there are a lot of things he would like to change about our house. Notice all the "he" in that last sentence? Enough said.

I was instructed to pull of the border. I had wanted to go to yoga.... yeah, that didn't happen. I will now mention that I loathe taking off wallpaper. It is so tedious, not to mention very messy. It also would have been a lot easier if it was done during Grady's nap time but again, I was not in charge of THE project. I was also not in the mood for any sort of project by that time of day. Drake on the other hand was more then willing to jump in and help. You can see in the picture below that my husband was allowing him to use a razor blade to open the tiles and cut them apart. This is a perfect example of the brain damage caused by chemical abuse during his youth!

Thankfully Drake finished the project with the same amount of appendages that he started with. John decided to hold off on grouting till he had more time. This translates to: I will have this unfinished project glaring at me everyday until I harp enough and he decides to finish it. And with his track record, he will probably pick another lazy Sunday afternoon!

blast from the past

Technology. These are the days I absolutely love it. A while back I created a Face Book account on a whim. This website is a way to connect with people and allow people that know you to connect and/or contact you. I have stumbled across many friends from my high school days and recently a long lost friend from college. Sadly, we intentionally lost each other ten years ago due to small and silly things. These thing were so minute and trivial that when we recently got together for drinks, we couldn't even remember the true reason as to why we stopped talking. I guess I should mention that I was young and stupid, I think she would agree! I also told her I wouldn't blog about our evening last night....sorry!! After getting together for drinks a few weeks ago we decided it would be fun to get our families together. Ironically we have been living ten minutes away from each other for quite some time and have never crossed paths. She has three boys (4, 2 1/2 and 1) and then I have mine (7 and 2 1/2). What could be more enjoyable then five rambunctious boys invading a living space? To sum it up, we had a blast. I will admit that due to our shared stories, I was a bit worried about combining the two 2 1/2 year olds. They were born a day apart and could not be more similar. Those of you that read my blog regularly know I often refer to mine as the demon seed of my womb. I am happy to report that all the boys got along extremely well. There were no fights, meltdowns or blood shed but there was a substantial amount of noise and endless running. And to top off the evening, my friend brought my all time favorite.... brownies!! Drake was so exhausted from last night that he slept until 9:45 this morning! Grady on the other hand was up with the crack of dawn, full of energy and ready to tackle the day, or at least me! John is a little scared by how many similarities she and I share. As she put it, we could wife swap and they would be none the wiser. I am so glad she reached out to reconnect with me. I look forward to more play dates and dinner dates, and quite frankly, more girls night outs!!

becoming an old man

May I introduce Barley. He is our dog (or pet pony, you can choose). He is an Alaskan Malamute and suffers from "large dog syndrome", which means he is convinced he is a lap dog. Jes had commented that she noticed him in a picture from my previous post.... inside. Yes it is true, our dog has begun to turn into an old man. Allow me to explain. In the past, Barley has refused to come in the house - EVER. When the temps would dip into the negatives I would leash him and pull from the front while John shoved him inside from the back. Barley hated it and would beg to go back out. I didn't want the pet welfare people pounding on my door accusing me of neglecting and abusing my dog, so we would ignore him and at least make him spend the night inside. In the morning we could not get him outside quick enough. But as he approaches the seven year mark his attitude about outside has changed. When we took him to the vet in the fall they told us he was about 70 years old. Large dogs don't live as long as smaller ones so he will probably only live to be 8-10 years old. That being said, he has entered his retirement stage.

With the colder temps he now refuses to be outside! His old bones must not be able to take the cooler temps anymore and he prefers his "spot" at the end of the couch. Though this also means that I have to be more mindful of the counters as he can easily access anything up there with one simple pass. Grady discovered this the other day when he put his half eaten cookie up there while he got some juice. When he came back, the cookie was no more. Barley on the other hand was quite pleased with his find. I will say though that the boys love that Barley is in the house. I on the other hand, am still debating. I enjoy his company and the fact that I do not have to sweep up the crumbs after every meal, but Barley is a snow dog. He could clothe a small country with all his fur, especially his winter coat. The groomer runs in fear when we bring him in the spring so she can blow out his coat (it takes her four hours!) Last year a small dog was lost in the mounds of fur pulled from our beast. So for now Barley will continue to inhabit our house. We will have to wait and see what spring brings. Maybe he will become an inside dog after all!

tagged

Ok, I was tagged by my friend Josie over at Tribal Talk so I am going to honor her tag. I was also excited to see it as I have not been tagged before. So here is the skinny - I am to share seven strange or weird facts about me and in return have others share strange facts about themselves. So here it goes!

7 strange/weird facts about myself:

1. I am extremely introverted and shy until you get to know me

2. I love my feet - they are very cute

3. I am not a good cook

4. I am obsessed with unplugging things/ appliances that are not in use and rearranging the dishes in the dish washer (these drive John crazy)

5. I could see myself being a hair stylist

6. I am creeped out by excessive ear wax and dirty fingernails. Working in the schools I am amazed at the amount of each that I see .... YUCK

7. My closet is arranged by color, shirt type and sleeve length and I become agitated when things get moved.


So this is me in a nutshell!


The rules are to link the person who sent this to you and leave a comment on their blog so their readers can visit yours. Post the rules on your blog~ Share 7 strange/weird facts about yourself ~ Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, linking their blog ~ Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

So I am tagging Jes at Laugh and Tears, JCR at Lipgloss and Cheerios, Grocer at Famous for all Kinds of Wickedness, Kristin at the View from Mount Kristin and Vikki at Up Popped a Fox. Sorry I can't directly link you. I have an Apple and for some reason I have never been able to do any of that fancy stuff on my blog.

how many irish men does it take...

.... to put in a new faucet? And no I am not about to tell a bad ethnic joke. This is what John and my Dad decided to do on a wild and crazy Friday night in blistery cold Wisconsin. Luckily the job did get done in one evening, with little swearing AND even better, the faucet works! Of course there were beverages to mark this momentous occasion. What kind of Irish folk do you think we are?!



Is the answer two Irish men?



Could it be three Irish men?



Final answer?? Three, three Irish men and a dog. Moo ah ha ha.

another baby

No, no. Not for me!!! My BFF finally had her baby. Yeah! She was cursed, oops, I mean blessed with a little girl. I say this in jest because we have both said that we really wouldn't know what to do with a girl. We prefer the rough and tumble boy types. They fall, you brush them off and they take off running again. Heck, you may even throw a ball at them, and I mean this literally! She is of the "anti-Barbie" brigade and has already begun to fear that which has been called "puberty". Throw Grady into the mix and the scene gets real ugly real fast. I can hear the shot gun now.... On a different yet similar note, I do enjoy looking at baby girl's clothes and all that they entail. But I have found myself stumped as to what to purchase for my new niece. I did notice a lot of browns in the stores so that may be a safe bet. Right now I am leaning towards the onesie above. This site also had a cute little cherry ensemble that looks just like one of her tattoos. I am sure she will find that very amusing!! Sinced I am not going to visit till March I have some time to peruse all that is girl. I am also open to any ideas you may have :)

recent revelations

In the extreme craziness and chaos which is called "my life" I have come to realize certain things over the past few days. being the kind and gentle soul that I am I thought I would share. Granted, many of these things I am sure you already know but maybe not. So here goes....

#1. When stuck on a hill in a blizzard, dog food provides great traction. This is how, after over a half an hour of trying to "rock" my car to get it up the driveway, I finally got my go cart in the garage. I also got stuck trying to get up my street which has a slight incline. I guess the city didn't feel the need to let people back to their homes during the worst snowstorm since the early 1920's, but who am I to judge! I am not sure if they make chains for VW golfs but I am seriously looking into it. I could also go the other route and scream bloody murder at the city for not plowing my road but I don't think that will get me very far.

#2. I cannot think of anything worse then a grown man with the flu. I seriously want to inflict bodily harm AND there was no wine in the house. (except for the profuse verbiage streaming from his mouth) Maybe death will feel better then the fever and congestion he is experiencing. (him) "Do you think this is a tumor?" (me) "No, it is a swollen lymph node" (him) "Does that mean I have strep or an ear infection?" (me) "Neither. You have a bad cold." (him) " But my head hurts and my eyes feel like they are going to burst" (me) "Yeah so do mine" After day two of whining and listening to him contemplate the various disease he may have I told him to suck it up. Yeah, he didn't take to kindly to that.

#3. Only in Wisconsin, and maybe Minnesota, will grown adults trek through snow, black ice, and -20 degree weather, to play soccer at 10 pm at night. Even more alarming were the number of people that showed up for the 11 PM games. Desperate times call for desperate measures I suppose. I mean, we can only be cooped up in our house for so long right?

#4. Yoga and a head cold do not mix. Thankfully my instructor had the lights out so my classmates could not see the stream of snot dripping towards my mat during "downward dog". All in all it did feel good to stretch, but the runny nose really put a damper on the experience.

So there you have it. All of the extreme knowledge I have learned in the past 48 hours. Yes, it is scary that these are the learning points in my life right now. But I am hopeful for further enlightenment sometime down the road, maybe once I get rid of this head cold.

definitely a first

Well I am at home enjoying yet another snow day. We are currently getting three inches of snow an hour with a cumulative total around almost two feet. It is very pretty to watch, not so pretty to drive in. Thankfully I am home bound the rest of the day after just picking up Grady from pre-school. After a visit to the doctor yesterday Grady got a prescription for a higher dose of antibiotic to try and get rid of his persistent ear infection. One of the side effects on the warning label was "red stools". I thought, Ok red stools, how bad can it be? Well today I got to experience the previously mentioned side effect. Never before have I seen crayon red come from the bottom of a child. I am sure this may be too much information for some but seriously, it was the color of a red magic marker! On a happier note, he is feeling better and is back to his happy and spunky self. He has been occupying his time between the cats and the dog. I love this picture....what cat would roll around with a two year old in the bath tub? Guess this is a bit of insight as to how loopy my cats are!

ramblings of a seven year old

The scene: Drake walks in after I had just finished taking Grady's temperature and discovered that the Tylenol was not helping his fever. I am mumbling under my breath and a bit perturbed at the idea of trying to schedule a sick visit yet again.

Drake: Does Grady have a fever?
Me: Yep.
D: What was it?
M: It is 101 which means his medicine isn't working.
D: What is it supposed to be?
M: 98.6 usually
D: So because it is higher he has a fever?
M: Yep
D: So if it were less then 98 degrees he would have a cold?
M: (chuckling) No he wouldn't have a cold
D: So how do you get a cold then...how do you know?
M: You just don't feel good
D: Oh. I think I have a fever too. Could you take my temperature?

wind of change

There are days it seems the turmoil will never cease. And lately I am a bit saddened by it. We were supposed to move this summer. I know that this might come as a shock to some since I have kept it under wraps for various reasons. We had a realtor and were supposed to put the house on the market in two weeks. I had interviews, was in the process of switching over my medical license and had investigated preschools and neighborhoods. We even looked at houses and planned a trip in March to go "seal the deal". But last Thursday this so called "reality" came to a screeching halt. Basically, for other various reasons, my husband decided we are not moving. I have been trying to cope with the reeling effects of realizing that I am stuck in a state that I don't wish to live in anymore. I long to move back east and was elated at the prospect of change. But I guess I am going to have to continue to grow where I have been planted. In an effort to soften the blow the husband has been trying to, shall we say, use bribery to get me out of the funk I have thrown myself into. In the past few days I have been offered a new craft room, to decrease the amount of days I work a week and even a summer home! I have a better idea oh hubby of mine..... how about we move!!? He even tried to pull the ultra sneaky move that softens my heart every time, he grew out his beard to scruff length. (I am a sucker for a scruffy face) But yet, these feeble attempts have not softened my heart or eased my sadness. I still find myself moping, wishing it could be different, wondering if I will ever get to leave the state of beer, cows and cheese. And as I sit and mope I remind myself that I should probably look on the bright side.... at least I like cheese and beer! Though at this moment, wine and lobster sound even better.