Saturday, May 31, 2008
WRONG!!!
Um, wrong. There is ONE person in the US that has MY NAME....
DUH!
Who writes these programs?!
Friday, May 30, 2008
Bachelorette Party
You know you're in trouble, when you Google, "Name-of-hometown Nightlife" and the only thing that pops up is the local historical downtown movie theatre.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Halfway House?
So as of yesterday, there are now seven beating hearts living in our house. No, I'm not pregnant! I just have a 3-week-old cottontail bunny living inside a plastic box in our bathroom right now. He's a temporary resident and will be returned to the "wild" (aka our yard) probably this weekend.
A storm came up yesterday mid-morning and the wind that preceded the storm was blowing our empty 5-gallon plastic water jugs all over the front porch. I stepped outside and glanced down at the planter that sits right outside the front door. I noticed something out of place...there was a tennis-ball-sized pile of fluff sitting huddled between the wall and the container. It startled me and I exclaimed, "OMG What IS THAT?!" I quickly realized it was a baby bunny. Great. I figured out he had probably been disturbed when the landscape guys came that morning to mow our grass (we have landscape guys because Brad is HIGHLY allergic to most grasses and weeds, I just refuse to mow, and N isn't tall or strong enough to push a mower yet).
Hilarity ensued...after talking to my friend Kimberly (who had recently had the same problem, except there were TWO bunnies invovled in her case, and they were much younger) I decided to set some water and spinach out for him. Well, in doing so, I frightened him and he darted off to the end of the porch. Now he was huddled next to the wall and under the porch railing, but remember the storm I mentioned was coming? Well, it had arrived and the wind was blowing sideways, soaking this poor rabbit.
I ran to the garage to get the stroller and my umbrella. I secured Nyssa in the stroller and set her in the front door where she could see me but wasn't getting soaked like I was about to be. I then opened the umbrella, walked around the porch in the pouring rain, and poked the bunny back toward his original hideout. I had to nudge him a couple of times, but he ended up back where he was, except now he was quite wet, poor thing.
I then got an email from a wildlife rehabilitation lady (http://www.rescuedrabbits.org/), who advised me to get the rabbit, put him in a small shoebox lined with a t-shirt, and set the shoebox on a heating pad set on medium. Then she sent me a Power Point presentation that showed Eastern Cottontails in various stages of development, from birth to adulthood. She asked me to guess how old the bunny was. I figured 2.5-3.5 weeks, and then sent her a picture, which she confirmed was probably a 3-week old bunny.
She said I could either get him to her later that evening, or she could tell me how to care for him over the next few days. We opted to care for him ourselves. She advised us to put him in a tall box, keep part of that box on a heating pad, and to provide water in a shallow dish and give him cut grass from our yard for him to eat. She also listed some of their other favorite foods (dandelions, pansies, petunias, hibiscus), but I don't have any of those so he's just getting grass!
I found out a little later that they don't eat spinach. She advised against giving apples and carrots since they don't get those in the wild.
So I put the little shoe box inside a big clear plastic box and then set a baby gate on top of that. I realized that evening that rabbits are nocturnal! He was bumping around a bit while I was trying to fall asleep, and then he was quiet through the night. And then at dawn, he started bumping around again. Silly guy! When I went to check on him after I got up this morning, I panicked, because I didn't see him at first. He had burrowed underneath the t-shirt that was in the shoe box. I uncovered his head, worried about him getting enough oxygen. He was probably fine, but the mom in me was concerned.
I'll post a photo of his latest set up later.
A storm came up yesterday mid-morning and the wind that preceded the storm was blowing our empty 5-gallon plastic water jugs all over the front porch. I stepped outside and glanced down at the planter that sits right outside the front door. I noticed something out of place...there was a tennis-ball-sized pile of fluff sitting huddled between the wall and the container. It startled me and I exclaimed, "OMG What IS THAT?!" I quickly realized it was a baby bunny. Great. I figured out he had probably been disturbed when the landscape guys came that morning to mow our grass (we have landscape guys because Brad is HIGHLY allergic to most grasses and weeds, I just refuse to mow, and N isn't tall or strong enough to push a mower yet).
Hilarity ensued...after talking to my friend Kimberly (who had recently had the same problem, except there were TWO bunnies invovled in her case, and they were much younger) I decided to set some water and spinach out for him. Well, in doing so, I frightened him and he darted off to the end of the porch. Now he was huddled next to the wall and under the porch railing, but remember the storm I mentioned was coming? Well, it had arrived and the wind was blowing sideways, soaking this poor rabbit.
I ran to the garage to get the stroller and my umbrella. I secured Nyssa in the stroller and set her in the front door where she could see me but wasn't getting soaked like I was about to be. I then opened the umbrella, walked around the porch in the pouring rain, and poked the bunny back toward his original hideout. I had to nudge him a couple of times, but he ended up back where he was, except now he was quite wet, poor thing.
I then got an email from a wildlife rehabilitation lady (http://www.rescuedrabbits.org/), who advised me to get the rabbit, put him in a small shoebox lined with a t-shirt, and set the shoebox on a heating pad set on medium. Then she sent me a Power Point presentation that showed Eastern Cottontails in various stages of development, from birth to adulthood. She asked me to guess how old the bunny was. I figured 2.5-3.5 weeks, and then sent her a picture, which she confirmed was probably a 3-week old bunny.
She said I could either get him to her later that evening, or she could tell me how to care for him over the next few days. We opted to care for him ourselves. She advised us to put him in a tall box, keep part of that box on a heating pad, and to provide water in a shallow dish and give him cut grass from our yard for him to eat. She also listed some of their other favorite foods (dandelions, pansies, petunias, hibiscus), but I don't have any of those so he's just getting grass!
I found out a little later that they don't eat spinach. She advised against giving apples and carrots since they don't get those in the wild.
So I put the little shoe box inside a big clear plastic box and then set a baby gate on top of that. I realized that evening that rabbits are nocturnal! He was bumping around a bit while I was trying to fall asleep, and then he was quiet through the night. And then at dawn, he started bumping around again. Silly guy! When I went to check on him after I got up this morning, I panicked, because I didn't see him at first. He had burrowed underneath the t-shirt that was in the shoe box. I uncovered his head, worried about him getting enough oxygen. He was probably fine, but the mom in me was concerned.
I'll post a photo of his latest set up later.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Why I Love Dr. Sears
It's no secret that I am a HUGE fan of Dr. Sears.
This is my latest favorite quote of his.
"To expect a curious two-year-old to be a model of obedience in a supermarket that is set up to make adults act impulsively is unrealistic."
This is my latest favorite quote of his.
"To expect a curious two-year-old to be a model of obedience in a supermarket that is set up to make adults act impulsively is unrealistic."
High Fructose Corn Syrup
I have been avoiding almost all products that contain high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) for a while now. It started when we found out Brad had a corn allergy. And then I started doing some reading about how awful HFCS is, and so far this is my favorite paragraph about it:
"If nothing else, think of high fructose corn syrup as a giant red flag that says 'I’m heavily processed! I’ve lost most of my nutritional value! The people who made me took the cheap way out, because they care more about profits than quality! You don’t want to eat me!'"
from http://cleanerplateclub.wordpress.com/2007/06/20/take-the-high-fructose-corn-syrup-challenge/.
I think the only thing in our cabinets that contains the stuff is my jar of Miracle Whip lite and the bottle of Lea & Perrins worcestershire sauce, both of which will be going into the trash tomorrow. I learned from a couple of different Canadians that the Lea and Perrins sold in Canada does NOT contain the HFCS. I bought some other brand from Whole Foods, but may have to get my friend in Canada to send me a bottle or three of the Lea & Perrins if the Whole Foods brand doesn't taste right.
As for the Miracle Whip, I'm going to just have to start eating my sandwiches dry.
"If nothing else, think of high fructose corn syrup as a giant red flag that says 'I’m heavily processed! I’ve lost most of my nutritional value! The people who made me took the cheap way out, because they care more about profits than quality! You don’t want to eat me!'"
from http://cleanerplateclub.wordpress.com/2007/06/20/take-the-high-fructose-corn-syrup-challenge/.
I think the only thing in our cabinets that contains the stuff is my jar of Miracle Whip lite and the bottle of Lea & Perrins worcestershire sauce, both of which will be going into the trash tomorrow. I learned from a couple of different Canadians that the Lea and Perrins sold in Canada does NOT contain the HFCS. I bought some other brand from Whole Foods, but may have to get my friend in Canada to send me a bottle or three of the Lea & Perrins if the Whole Foods brand doesn't taste right.
As for the Miracle Whip, I'm going to just have to start eating my sandwiches dry.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Free on Craigslist!
Need some entertainment? Check out what's being offered for free on Craigslist sometime!
Free Toilets. slightly used in good condition
Ok, yuck.
2 Epson inkjet printers- don't work
Old Dirty Gas Grill PLEASE COME GET IT -
I know why people post these, but it still cracks me up.
***Need shade trees?*** FREE Maple trees you dig up -
Nice way to get revenge on your neighbor.
Bees and Beehive-Please take away
Um, yeah. Good luck with that.
Old, dirty, stained, stinky furniture
I'm guessing this person didn't major in marketing.
free small clown cake
I had extra cake batter and frosting and made a small clown cake. Pick up soon please. Lewisville off 121 and 35 thanks!
While I suppose this is a nice gesture, it falls into the, "Don't take candy from strangers," category.
COLOSTOMY SUPPLIES -
I have a box of leftover supplies from my colostomy and would like for someone to have these that really need them. They are very expensive and already paid for so I would like for them to go for someone's good use.
I have no words.
Fish tank & all supplies, litter box, framed pictures, phones etc
Wow, these fish are litter-box trained, and have a nice set-up with framed photos and phones!
2 Empty Buckets -
Ok, random! The post even included a photo. They were joint compound buckets.
FREE SHRUBBERY
Not so funny if you haven't seen Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail.
FREE : Two Used Tires to good home
Why do they care if the tires go to a good home? What constitutes a good home for used tires, anyway?
FREE MINT GROWING IN MY BACK YARD
This was just weird and random and bound to bring crazies out of the woodwork!
Free Toilets. slightly used in good condition
Ok, yuck.
2 Epson inkjet printers- don't work
Old Dirty Gas Grill PLEASE COME GET IT -
I know why people post these, but it still cracks me up.
***Need shade trees?*** FREE Maple trees you dig up -
Nice way to get revenge on your neighbor.
Bees and Beehive-Please take away
Um, yeah. Good luck with that.
Old, dirty, stained, stinky furniture
I'm guessing this person didn't major in marketing.
free small clown cake
I had extra cake batter and frosting and made a small clown cake. Pick up soon please. Lewisville off 121 and 35 thanks!
While I suppose this is a nice gesture, it falls into the, "Don't take candy from strangers," category.
COLOSTOMY SUPPLIES -
I have a box of leftover supplies from my colostomy and would like for someone to have these that really need them. They are very expensive and already paid for so I would like for them to go for someone's good use.
I have no words.
Fish tank & all supplies, litter box, framed pictures, phones etc
Wow, these fish are litter-box trained, and have a nice set-up with framed photos and phones!
2 Empty Buckets -
Ok, random! The post even included a photo. They were joint compound buckets.
FREE SHRUBBERY
Not so funny if you haven't seen Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail.
FREE : Two Used Tires to good home
Why do they care if the tires go to a good home? What constitutes a good home for used tires, anyway?
FREE MINT GROWING IN MY BACK YARD
This was just weird and random and bound to bring crazies out of the woodwork!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Tagged
Here are the rules:
1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people and post a comment to the person who tagged you once you’ve posted your three sentences.
So since the nearest books were "Shiny Touchy Smelly" - no words, "Happy Baby 123" - not 123 pages, and "Moo, Baa, La La La" - also short on pages, I got up and walked into the study to get a book that had 123 pages.
"Women admitted to the hospital in early labor or prelabor may be more likely to have labor interventions. If you have reached the point in pregnancy when labor looms even larger than you do, you have almost certainly considered pain relief medication for labor. Obstetric management offers only two options: injected narcotics and epidurals."
From Henci Goer's _The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth._
No, I'm not pregnant. I lent the book to a friend and just got it back a couple of weeks ago, and hadn't bothered to return it to its proper place on my bookshelf yet.
Tagging: April, Erin, Adri, Lynn, and Misty. And anyone else that wants to participate.
1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people and post a comment to the person who tagged you once you’ve posted your three sentences.
So since the nearest books were "Shiny Touchy Smelly" - no words, "Happy Baby 123" - not 123 pages, and "Moo, Baa, La La La" - also short on pages, I got up and walked into the study to get a book that had 123 pages.
"Women admitted to the hospital in early labor or prelabor may be more likely to have labor interventions. If you have reached the point in pregnancy when labor looms even larger than you do, you have almost certainly considered pain relief medication for labor. Obstetric management offers only two options: injected narcotics and epidurals."
From Henci Goer's _The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth._
No, I'm not pregnant. I lent the book to a friend and just got it back a couple of weeks ago, and hadn't bothered to return it to its proper place on my bookshelf yet.
Tagging: April, Erin, Adri, Lynn, and Misty. And anyone else that wants to participate.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Best laid plans...
Yesterday evening Brad could tell I needed a break, so he sent me out for some retail therapy. I headed to Michaels, where I stumbled upon a fabulous sale - 60% off all of these super-cute cottage-style decorations (photos are over on the house blog). I instantly knew that I had to have these things for our downstairs bathroom. I picked out several pieces and decided it was time to pick a color for the bathroom walls. I selected a couple of shades of paints and decided that the next morning N and I would head to the paint store and buy samples so I could choose one color and get started on painting.
Since it was really nice outside, I decided we should walk to the paint store. I mean, it was only a half-mile from our house - literally around the corner - the weather was great, I could use the exercise, I wouldn't have to get N in and out of her car seat just to go a half-mile, fuel prices are really high (ok, so that wasn't really any motivation for not driving, I mean, it was ONLY a half-mile away!), I had lots of great reasons why I should walk. Brad asked me if I was sure I wanted to walk there, and I insisted that it was a good idea.
It turns out I should listen to my husband more. He is wise. Wise enough not to try and convince his stubborn wife that she really should just get in the car and drive the half-mile to the paint store.
I loaded N up in the stroller, gave her a little scrapbook that happens to be her favorite right now, and off we went.
About three-quarters of the way there, I was reminded of Shel Silverstein. The sidewalk ended. Not only was our nice paved surface gone, but so was the flat terrain. All of a sudden, we were presented with an uneven, hilly area that was extremely difficult to navigate with a 20 pound stroller and a 21 pound toddler. And when the hill finally flattened and the sidewalk picked back up, it was over a bridge and the sidewalk was just as wide as my stroller. And then the sidewalk ended again! We walked through a parking lot, only to find that there was no sidewalk along the MAJOR road (think three lanes of traffic on each side!), so now I was pushing the stroller across the grass just a few feet from cars and trucks driving 50 mph or more. It was nerve-wracking to say the least!
We did make it to the paint store safely, selected the paint and a few supplies, and then I called Brad to see if he was close enough to come pick us up, as I was dreading the walk back home. Unfortunately, he was a couple of towns away (so probably just 15 minutes, plus the time to go home and pick up the car seat) and I decided I'd suck it up and walk back home. Fortunately, I had had the foresight to put the Beco in the basket of the stroller, just in case. I ended up putting N on my back, since the stroller without 21 pounds of toddler would be easier to manage on that stupid hilly terrain. Once we reached the sidewalk again, I returned N to the stroller as it really was too hot to wear her and continue to walk home.
Since it was really nice outside, I decided we should walk to the paint store. I mean, it was only a half-mile from our house - literally around the corner - the weather was great, I could use the exercise, I wouldn't have to get N in and out of her car seat just to go a half-mile, fuel prices are really high (ok, so that wasn't really any motivation for not driving, I mean, it was ONLY a half-mile away!), I had lots of great reasons why I should walk. Brad asked me if I was sure I wanted to walk there, and I insisted that it was a good idea.
It turns out I should listen to my husband more. He is wise. Wise enough not to try and convince his stubborn wife that she really should just get in the car and drive the half-mile to the paint store.
I loaded N up in the stroller, gave her a little scrapbook that happens to be her favorite right now, and off we went.
About three-quarters of the way there, I was reminded of Shel Silverstein. The sidewalk ended. Not only was our nice paved surface gone, but so was the flat terrain. All of a sudden, we were presented with an uneven, hilly area that was extremely difficult to navigate with a 20 pound stroller and a 21 pound toddler. And when the hill finally flattened and the sidewalk picked back up, it was over a bridge and the sidewalk was just as wide as my stroller. And then the sidewalk ended again! We walked through a parking lot, only to find that there was no sidewalk along the MAJOR road (think three lanes of traffic on each side!), so now I was pushing the stroller across the grass just a few feet from cars and trucks driving 50 mph or more. It was nerve-wracking to say the least!
We did make it to the paint store safely, selected the paint and a few supplies, and then I called Brad to see if he was close enough to come pick us up, as I was dreading the walk back home. Unfortunately, he was a couple of towns away (so probably just 15 minutes, plus the time to go home and pick up the car seat) and I decided I'd suck it up and walk back home. Fortunately, I had had the foresight to put the Beco in the basket of the stroller, just in case. I ended up putting N on my back, since the stroller without 21 pounds of toddler would be easier to manage on that stupid hilly terrain. Once we reached the sidewalk again, I returned N to the stroller as it really was too hot to wear her and continue to walk home.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
A Word to the Wise...
If you want to spend four days gimping around like you're a hundred and thirty years old, then I recommend that you do squats to failure. That means that you tap your hiney to a chair (without actually sitting down) until you simply cannot return to a standing position any longer.
I confess, I did quit probably a few squats before total failure, since Miss N was getting rather impatient sitting in her stroller watching her crazy mommy sit down and stand back up again, over and over, to the tune of a hundred and five times.
And boy, let me tell you, simple movements like standing, sitting, rolling over in bed, getting in and out of the car, etc! have become unbelievably difficult in the last few days. I know I've been rather comical to watch moving around the house. I even caught my foot on the door frame of our bathroom and my TODDLER laughed at me! Eesh.
The last time I remember being this sore was right after giving birth. The time before that was after the White Rock half-marathon in December of 2003.
What prompted me to do such a thing in the first place? Well, our StrollerFit instructor has issued another 6-week total body challenge. Last year we just took measurements. This year she's added in a few physical challenges as well: total situps in 60 seconds (I HATE situps! Crunches are good, situps SUCK), pushups to failure, and squats to failure. As my workout buddy Becky pointed out, I'm going to have to beat my initial count of 105 on the squats in 6 weeks. Right now I don't see that happening, not because I don't think I will get stronger and can do more by then, but because I do not want to be this sore again for a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time. Back when I was working a desk job, it wasn't a big deal. My job now requires me to be a LOT more active - I spend a lot of time going from sitting in the floor to standing and am on my feet and walking around a lot more than I used to!
I confess, I did quit probably a few squats before total failure, since Miss N was getting rather impatient sitting in her stroller watching her crazy mommy sit down and stand back up again, over and over, to the tune of a hundred and five times.
And boy, let me tell you, simple movements like standing, sitting, rolling over in bed, getting in and out of the car, etc! have become unbelievably difficult in the last few days. I know I've been rather comical to watch moving around the house. I even caught my foot on the door frame of our bathroom and my TODDLER laughed at me! Eesh.
The last time I remember being this sore was right after giving birth. The time before that was after the White Rock half-marathon in December of 2003.
What prompted me to do such a thing in the first place? Well, our StrollerFit instructor has issued another 6-week total body challenge. Last year we just took measurements. This year she's added in a few physical challenges as well: total situps in 60 seconds (I HATE situps! Crunches are good, situps SUCK), pushups to failure, and squats to failure. As my workout buddy Becky pointed out, I'm going to have to beat my initial count of 105 on the squats in 6 weeks. Right now I don't see that happening, not because I don't think I will get stronger and can do more by then, but because I do not want to be this sore again for a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time. Back when I was working a desk job, it wasn't a big deal. My job now requires me to be a LOT more active - I spend a lot of time going from sitting in the floor to standing and am on my feet and walking around a lot more than I used to!
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